Black Roses
by Disenchanted Romance
Summary: Based on The Phantom of the Opera: She is the daughter of Christine and Raoul...He is the son of the Phantom born from hell...Will history repeat itself or will it change?
1. Prol : Returning to the Opera Populaire

After watching "The Phantom of the Opera" a hundred times, I think I finally worked out an 'Inuyasha-fied' version of the musical (or rather a KikSess story). With nothing more to say, I hope you guys like this story. Please R and R. No flames please! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Phantom of the Opera" characters! They belong to Gaston Leroux. The lyrics that might appear in this story belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

And now the prologue…

-()-

**Black Roses**

**By: Disenchanted Romance**

Prologue: Returning to the _Opera Populaire_

In a humble inn, Christine sits by the balcony of her room. She gently rubs the child in her womb as she waits for Raoul to return from work. It has been eight years since they have moved from Paris and chose to reside in Japan. It has been a painful and heartrending choice to move from their beloved home and reside in a foreign place. They did not know how to speak the language, nor did they know anyone in the towns. Yet, despite their difficulties, her husband has been able to provide for her and their expected child. In his eyes, she looked as she did when they first left France; her hair still held its chestnut color that matched her gentle brown eyes on her delicate face. And through her eyes, his charming features grew as time passed on; his longer hair became a darker hazel color, but his eyes remained in its soft gray hue.

As Christine continued to gaze out of her window, she felt a kiss placed on her forehead. She turned and smiled when her eyes were set into Raoul's gaze. He took a seat next to her as he handed her a French newspaper.

Christine read the large title, trembling with fear as Raoul explained, "I was fortunate enough to find this paper in a shop nearby. Christine, do you realize what this means?"

She turned to him, speaking in a dying whisper, "No Raoul...I know not of this is a dream...or a nightmare...Is he truly...? Is the Phantom really...dead?"

"It seems he is. The article states that a few officers have found his body floating in a river, coming from the Opera house. With him gone, we can live our lives as we have before," he took her hands into his, "We have nothing to fear by returning to Paris. He is gone and he cannot harm us. Our child will be able to grow in its natural home. This country is truly peaceful, but we can no longer stay...Unfortunately, the money I had with me is quickly running out from staying in this inn, but it will be enough to get tickets to France."

"If it is money that concerns you, perhaps I may find a job in a field or in a shop," Christine franticly spoke, trying to rid her husband's thoughts of returning to France.

"No it is not the money. Besides, in your condition, you cannot do such things. I will provide for our family. That is the least of your concerns. Christine, do you not wish to return to Paris? With him gone, we may have the wedding you have always dreamt. Perhaps after the reconstruction of the Opera house, you may sing again...Do you not wish to visit your father as often as you had before?"

Christine stood up, walking to a small table with her father's picture placed on it. He picked up the delicate frame as tears began to roll down her cheeks. She thought of how her sanctuary had been taken away from the fear she had underwent after the crashing of the chandelier. Although the Phantom had no other reason to pursue her, she could not rest easy for the past eight years. Her fear had ridden her mind of thoughts of a dream wedding, for she was left to have a speedy ceremony. It was that same fear that drove her and her newlywed husband on the boat they could find that would allow them to relive their lives together. Now that he was gone, they had no reason to keep hiding. She turned to Raoul and answered in her gentle tone, "I want what is best for our child...In which...I believe returning to France is the best we could do."

They exchanged heartwarming grins after which they joined in an embrace. Moments after their embrace, they immediately packed their belongings and left the inn. They walked to the harbors and searched for the ferry that will take them to France. After bribing the captain with their few Francs, they were able to get on a passenger ferry and left their peaceful home.

Nearly three months since their departure from Japan, Christine gazes out at the sea as he ships near approaches France. In her arms, she held her supposedly two month old daughter. Her attention remained on her infant as she felt Raoul's embrace. He whispered to her, "I believe this is the right moment to name our child. Did we not say we shall name her when we first see our home?"

Christine slightly giggled in her response, "We did...I could not come up with a better name but one...In the inn, a maid would bring flowers to our room. She tried to help me understand what they were...She gave me a bulb and said "kikyo"...It was a lovely bellflower, it truly was despite the fact it was a bulb...I believe that name suits her. It shall be a name that tells her of her distant home."

"Then we shall call her Kikyo...But why not also name her after your father? Does the name Augustina sound lovely to you, as the flower?"

She looked at her daughter's small locks. Indeed, they were not long as of now, but her locks reminded her of her father. Truly, their daughter had inherited her dark hair from her grandfather. She then answered, "Certainly...Kikyo Augustina...de Chagny...I believe her name fits her. Soon my little bulb, you will see your other home."

Christine secluded the infant's face with her blanket as she handed her to Raoul. He gently sung to the infant as she began to stir from the sounds of splashing water. Raoul's song had then reminded Christine of the Opera house. If the _Opera Populaire_ has been opened from construction, should she return to her career?

Once arriving to Paris, the couple and their daughter walked the crowded streets of the city. As they made their way to their mansion, they passed the newly reconstructed Opera house. Thoughts of whether she should join the new cast ran through Christine's mind. The extra money she would make would hardly be necessary, since Raoul's inheritance would provide for them.

She held her infant tightly as she thought again...should they tell their daughter of the incident with the Phantom? There is no point in telling her of their past foe, so why the need. Yet, despite the fact he is dead the events of the masked man still haunt her as she passes the Opera house.

Once arriving to their new home, the couple was greeted by relieving servants who have remained in the empty mansion. Raoul's only reply to their questions of his whereabouts was merely that he wished to spend time in peace with his newlywed wife. Flocks of young servant girls circled Christine in hopes to see her "bundle of joy." Peering through the cracks of the blanket, they giggled and awed as the infant slept through the commotion.

As the servants took their bags, Christine quietly asked Raoul, "Where exactly are we planning to stay?"

He answered with a chuckle, "Why in my summer mansion of course...right where we are standing. I trust my servants have not taken items without my consent, so you have no doubts with them."

"Then...where will Kikyo stay? Seeing how grand your mansion is, I feel there is no room fit for our small daughter," she commented with slight concern.

"Do not worry yourself Christine. I will send someone to get a cradle for our young girl and we will settle her in a well fitted room next to ours," he happily replied as he took Kikyo out of her arms.

Raoul turned his attention from the sleeping infant, to Christine. He then asked her, "What troubles you? Is this mansion what you did not expect?"

Christine replied as she looked away from his gaze, "No Raoul, it is not that. I suppose I am still frightened by the Phantom...Despite the fact he is no longer of this world, I cannot be at ease...What if he has cursed us in his final breath? Shall we tell Kikyo when she has become of age?"

"Of course not! When will the moment arise when she is in need to be informed of the atrocities we have faced," Raoul commented with slight anger.

She replied with sincerity in her voice, "Raoul, we have a young girl in our hands...As a young lady, she shall grow and like most girls, when she will reach her early adulthood, she will ask how we met...so that she may find the one that will be willing to spend the rest of his days with her."

He turned back to his daughter as he spoke in a calmer tone, "I understand...However, we shall tell her of the moments we spent as children and how we were reunited in the Opera house."

"The Opera house is also my concern. I know you have said I shall not need to worry myself over our funds, but do you think I shall join the cast. I have not sung but a mere note since that night, but I believe I am still able to perform."

"Whatever brings you happiness Christine? If you wish to sing once more in the Opera house, then be free to join. Personally, I find it grand if you join. Hearing your voice in song will bring me more love for you."

His attention returned once more to his daughter when she asked, "Shall I go to the Opera house at this moment...or shall I wake until the next day?"

He replied as he gently swayed the awakening infant, "We shall go at any time that you please. If you wish to go now, then we shall."

A gentle smile curled on her lips for her love for Raoul continued to blossom hearing him commenting. She waited until her husband had finally placed their child back to sleep Once doing so, they quietly left the mansion and walked to the Opera house.

The _Opera Populaire_ looked as it was before the catastrophe with the chandelier. From the outside view, the windows were replaced and the entrance was adorned with sculptures of mythical lovers. As the couple walked in the welcoming building, they grew in awe as they glanced at every wall. The walls were repaired and repainted as they once were; however, they were decorated with requiems of small bouquets and paintings of past actors. The great staircase was replaced with a more golden marble as the once brittle floors of the entrance.

Drawing their attention to the staircase, Christine noticed a familiar figure climbing down the steps. It was Meg...

It seemed Meg noticed who they were as she happily greeted, "Christine! How long has it been?"

Christine approached the cheerful woman, as she said in response, "Far too long to say. How have you and your mother have been."

"I am sorry to say that my dear mother is no longer with us...," Meg replied, keeping her eyes away from Christine's warm eyes.

It did not take long for Christine to notice the hidden change in Meg. Her once loose hair is now tied in a bun, whereas her usual cheerful clothing has turned ominous. The news had indeed penetrated her heart, for she considered Mme Giry a mother figure since her arrival to the Opera house.

Meg placed a fake smile, that seemed to go well with her false contentment, when she asked, "What news have you brought? Why Christine...Are my eyes deceiving me?"

Meg walked to Raoul as she peered through the blanket. Her warmth returned as she took the small bundle into her arms. She asked once more, "Why Christine. Am I truly holding your child?"

Christine responded as she placed her tears aside, "Indeed you are. Raoul and I have married eight years ago and since then, I have given birth to our daughter."

"What name does she go by," Meg asked as she gazed at the infant.

Raoul replied as he caressed the young girl's head, "We named her after a flower...and after Christine's father...She goes by Kikyo Augustina...de Chagny."

The harmonious moment was interrupted when they heard a joyous thundering voice exclaim, "Monsieur Vicomte de Chagny! What a surprise to see you after all these years!"

They turned to see Monsieur Andre quickly climbing down the grand steps. He took Raoul's hand and shook it, which matched his happy mood. He then said, "What news do you bring sir? Must I say that it has truly been lonesome since you have left."

The count calmly replied, "I agree. If you must know, I have come on behalf of my wife. Surly you remember her...," he took Christine's hand as he presented her to Monsieur Andre, "The once Christine Daaé...And to fully suffice your gossip, the Mademoiselle Meg is holding our daughter Kikyo Augustina."

Andre's face continued to light up as he walked to the infant held in Meg's rocking arms, "Dear lad, what luck you truly have. But I presume the both of you have not come just to bid hello."

Christine stepped forward and said, "Which is precisely why we have come. I wish to ask if I may join the cast you have already chosen. I care not if my role is minor but what I truly want is to sing again."

The manager turned to the soprano and replied, "If you had come a few days earlier, we would have placed you as our leading soprano. Yet, seeing how you both are deeply engraved in our hearts, I shall give you the role of understudy for our leading lady."

Raoul stated, "We thank you Monsieur Andre. My family will remain as your patron, if you have not found one already. May I ask who the leading soprano is for this season?"

"Why, it is non other that Carlotta," Andre fearfully answered.

Christine changed the manager's mood when she spoke, "At any rate, I thank you Monsieur. I am truly grateful to take part once more in the Opera house."

"It is an honor Christine to hear you voice once more through these halls. And if your daughter is anything like you, she will one day shine with the same light as her mother. We expect your performance a few weeks from now. Rehearsals will start in two days," Andre commented.

Bidding farewell, the small family exited the Opera house and headed back to their mansion. As they walked through the crowded streets, Christine played a small faint melody in her head...one she remembered hearing down in the darkest lairs of the Opera house...

Placing their daughter in her new cradle, Raoul turned to Christine when she softly spoke, "Raoul, if Kikyo was there with me...when the Phantom brought me to the dark cellars of the Opera house...she would have fallen soundly asleep from hearing his music box."

His tone grew cold as he gazed at the slumbering infant, "What music box was it?"

Her voice grew in a more startled whisper, "It was not exactly a music box...It was a small monkey, sitting on top of the piece dressed in Persian clothing. As the music played, it clashed its tiny cymbals. The music was soft, carrying a certain hidden darkness...It was a song any child would love, yet a song I fear..."

He walked to Christine, who sat on a rocking chair nearby the cradle. He kneeled to her level as said, "You have nothing to fear Christine. He is gone and he can no longer harm us from where he is. Nothing will tear us apart."

Raoul took her hand and led Christine out of the room, leaving their child to slumber. Yet, the child was being soothed in her sleep from a distant song not found from where her parents stood...

The two days went by rather quickly, or so Christine had thought. As the carriage strolled through the busy streets of the city, she thought back of the Opera house's past incidents. They were truly engraved in her head as she thought of the scene at the cemetery and when she and Raoul ran away at once after the chandelier catastrophe. But none of them stood out the most, than the story of the Phantom's past traveling with his cruel guardian that held him as "the Devil's child..."

The carriage stopped just in front of the Opera house. The entrance was blocked with aspiring new sopranos, including some she had known. As they walked in, Christine stepped out, taking a deep breath with her nervous throat. Raoul soon stepped out carrying their babe and accompanied her to the grand doors.

After climbing the last few steps, Raoul said with a happy grin, "Don't worry yourself Christine. You will do fine on your first day."

"I shall try my dear Raoul," Christine replied with her own grin. She slightly unveiled her daughter's face and placed a kiss on her forehead, whispering to the slumbering babe, "Good-bye my precious flower. Good-bye Raoul." She placed a quick kiss on his lips and stepped in the emptied entrance.

Christine felt a rather eerie chilling wind coming through the golden walls. Not even her elegant coat could protect her from the bleak winter. She quickly left the entrance and arrived just in time to the main stage.

-()-

It is a little dry, but it is only the beginning. -.- I'm not entirely sure if Sesshomaru will appear in the next chapter, but I can tell you for sure you will hear more from Kikyo than the prologue (just wanted to give a sneak peek since it might take me awhile to update, well, seeing that school is now in the way T.T). One more thing, I am not sure how Christine's father's name was spelled from the movie, but I think 'Augustina' is close enough. Thanks for reading!


	2. Ch 1: Like Mother, Like Daughter

It took awhile, but here is chapter 1. Well, please R and R. No flames please! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Phantom of the Opera" characters! They belong to Gaston Leroux. The lyrics that might appear in this story belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

And now chapter 1…

-()-

Chapter 1: Like Mother, Like Daughter

Five years seem to have gone by, swifter than the violent winds on a raining day. As the years traveled by, the young heiress' childish beauty had begun to bloom. Her dark locks resembling that of her late grandfather grew and her eyes turned to a soft hazel color, no longer concealed by her lids as an infant. Although, the growing girl does bring Christine in content, she feels as though she is suffering bitter bliss. The growing girl does call need of attention, of which only her mother can provide. Even with the help of Raoul after he has come home from his labor, the young couple could not easily admit the loss Christine will suffer...

On a cool evening, Christine held her young daughter as she slept in the silent gardens, protecting her from the random blows of wind. She felt Raoul's touch as he placed a kiss on her forehead. He heard her softly say, "How I dread to say this, but it might be the only way we may breathe from our ironic struggles."

He embraced her, for he knew what she might say. "Speak then Christine. What has caused you to lose your words?"

He heard her slightly tear-up as she replied, "I love to perform in the Opera house, I truly do. But what I love nothing more is to see you and Kikyo applauding me. But, as restless as she has now grown, I can no longer perform and do my motherly tasks." Christine held Kikyo closer as she continued, "I can no longer stand feel guilt as I imagine our daughter in the care of the servants instead of her proper mother. It pains me to say this but I have resigned my place in the Opera house," she turned to Raoul with her tear-filled eyes, "Will you still love me, even if you cannot hear me sing again?"

Raoul grinned, placing a small kiss on her lips. Reassuring, he said, "I know how difficult it is and how many times we have tried to raise our precious angel and content you at the same time. But Christine, I know you have resigned, but until Kikyo has grown and marry, I beg you my Angel, will you not sing again and fill the empty halls with the sound of your voice?"

"It will be quite some time to make your wish come true. But I promise you I will perform again, once our daughter has become of age," replied the happy soprano.

The wind continued to blow, causing the small family to retreat back inside the warmth of the mansion. Placing the young girl in her bed, they could not hear the voice that continues to lull the heiress to sleep.

Since that time, Christine was glad she had resigned to take care of Kikyo, just as a mother is to do for her children...sacrifice to give them something more...Yet, from time to time, she misses being on stage and letting her voice free. However, she would sing to the young girl and attract the heiress to join in song. Young as Kikyo was, Christine felt as though she had potential in becoming a soprano.

The young girl at the age of five held a sweet melody as she continued to sing with her mother. Often at times, the servants would spy on their ladies to hear a sweet private concert. Each day, the songs are made up from what they see or play. On that day, they played in the gardens, capering and sprinting through the wild foliage. Catching the attention of the young girl, a few blue robins few by. Pointing to the vanishing birds, the young girl sung, "_Farewell small angels fly far to your home in the clouds_."

Seeming as a counter to the younger voice, the mother sung, "_Small creatures how fortunate you are to fly. Stretch your blue feathers and fly high_."

Kikyo ran into her mother's welcoming arms as she continued, "_Mother, will you ever teach me to fly? How long must I wait to finally soar in the watery sky_?"

Brushing her hand through her dark locks, Christine replied, "_My sweet flower, nature has made you remain on this soft earth. But do not cry my precious angel. Sing and let your voice run free. Sing and let your song take flight._"

Kikyo snuggled on her mother's dress, as she felt the caresses of her warm hands on her dark locks. Christine then carried the young girl and sat on a bench nearby. They gazed at the wild flowers of the garden as the birds continued to sing and the bees continued collecting their nectar. In silence they remained, until Christine could hear the cooing of her child. Looking down, she could see how young of a beauty Kikyo was slowly growing into. She could see herself and Raoul's face on the delicate face of Kikyo...she could also see her father's face as well.

Feeling the sea of grief creeping up on her, she fought her slight woe, recalling that she had set her tears aside...back at the cemetery...The memories of the cemetery had only made her pain worse. She loathed the Phantom for acting, in that slight moment, as her father. But she could not loathe him, for he could no longer do harm, nor to her daughter.

Such a sweet pure child she held in her arms, she thought. What had astounded Christine the most was the young girl's love of music and arts. Christine loved hearing Kikyo's young voice fill the empty halls of their large home. Yet, Christine could not help but cringe sometimes, when she heard her daughter sing a few notes off key. Although she was so young, her voice will be proven of no use if she chose to continue to sing. Perhaps it is best that she will teach her daughter all she knew to help her voice.

A decade of passing foliage went by, and Kikyo had made slight improvements to her voice. With her mother's harsh lessons, she conquered her tears and paid no heed to her mother's cruel rants. Yet, she felt that her mother's sweetness disappeared when they both entered the music room. She was never ruthless or abhorrent outside in the gardens.

Kikyo gazed at her image on her mirror as she tied part of her hair back. Brushing through her loose bangs, she thought of what rigorous lesson her mother has in store for her. She fixed her dress' collar as she began to notice how her beauty truly developed. Once a child singing freely, she now felt as a caged bird, forced to sing when she was allowed by her moody mother. She turned to her small clock and stepped out of her room, concerned if her mother would become upset if she arrived a few minutes late.

Entering into the music room, she saw her mother sitting on the piano stool. Her mother's eyes turned sharp when she entered. Sitting on her corresponding chair, Kikyo waited for her mother to begin...but she would not. They remained in silence, her mother becoming more terrifying by the passing moment.

At long last, the motherly teacher spoke in a sharp voice, "Have I not said we shall meet in this room precisely at two in the afternoon? You are but a minute late, yet, within those precious seconds, you could have learned so much."

She paused when she heard Kikyo tear up. Glaring at her daughter as her face was concealed with her hands Christine felt her motherly love creep through the raging teacher within her. Kikyo returned her mother's glare as she said in a teary heartfelt voice, "Are you truly my mother? Have your lessons become more important to you than my well being?"

Christine stood up, turning away from her daughter as she added, "It is best I leave all thoughts of becoming a great of a soprano as you."

Christine remained silent, recalling in a brief moment all of the rigorous comments and training she put Kikyo through. She then thought of how the Phantom taught her...He had been patient and kind in her lessons...How could she have forgotten such kindness a teacher should have for his or her students? She turned to her daughter, watching as more tears continued to fall from her eyes. Seeing her in such despair, it made Christine wish to join in...

"Do not cry my dear Kikyo. If you wish to continue, I will have more patience and become more sympathetic, as I should have been from the beginning," said Christine as she embraced the young woman.

Kikyo continued her tears but slightly nodded to her mother's request. Christine then said with her gentle voice, "We must go. We need a few things for our evening meal."

Kikyo stood up, wiping her tears and following her mother who left the music room. She paused when she heard a faint voice. It had such deep affection in the ghostly voice. She left then left the room after hearing her mother call her.

The swift walk to the city proved to be effective, rather than taking the carriage and remain in silence from the earlier incident. All stigmas were healed and peace grew once more between the mother and daughter. After buying their goods, Christine and Kikyo make their way homeward, passing the _Opera Populaire_. Falsely ignored by Christine, they continued making their way through the crowded streets. Yet it had caught the eye of Kikyo.

Gazing at the large sign through one of the building's advertisement windows, she read, "_NEW PERFORMERS NEEDED. See M. Firmin or M Andre._"

Ecstasy flowed through her veins as she thought of life on stage. Kikyo turned to Christine, but saw her mother had far passed her. Quickly following her mother's steps, Kikyo thought it best to ask her parents for their permission if she may join the Opera crew. Catching up with her mother, she continued to think of the spotlight shining in her face, the same light that once shone on her mother's face. Yet, the only obstacle that stood in her way was her voice...

In that evening, the dining hall was silent, except from the clinging of silverware and wine cups. Kikyo broke the silence and said quietly, "Mother, father, I wish to ask for your permission if I may join the _Opera Populaire_."

Christine and Raoul dropped their utensils as they glanced at Kikyo. Raoul finished his full cup of wine in one gulp and asked, "Is that so? Why, may I ask, do you wish to join the opera house?"

Kikyo wiped her lips and replied plead, "I merely wish to follow my dreams, father. I wish to experience the same joy and content my mother felt when she performed when I was just a mere child. I beg you mother, father, to let me join their cast."

"Absolutely not! The Opera house seeks pure talent and your voice is still not in perfection to become part of their cast. You may join when your voice is in perfect harmony," exclaimed Christine who gulped down the remainder of her drink.

Kikyo placed a slight disappointed face until she heard her father entreat, "Do not be so hard on her Christine. I say her voice is perfect the way it is. If she needs more lessons, she could learn from the veteran performers in the Opera house. Will you not reconsider?"

Christine glanced at Raoul and then at Kikyo. With a slight grin, she said, "Very well. You may join the cast, but I do not wish for you to stay at the Opera house. You home is here."

"But why not," asked Kikyo with suspicion in her voice.

"Merely because...I cannot afford not seeing your face each morning," Christine replied, hiding her true intentions through her motherly protectiveness. Kikyo did not question her mother any further, nor did Raoul openly seek for her reasons. The meal preceded, the silence still held at the table.

Remaining in her seat, Christine traced the mouth of her wine glass. Kikyo had excused herself and left, leaving Raoul to wonder what she meant. Raoul poured more wine in her glass and into his.

Raoul lifted the silence and asked, "Tell me Christine, what were your real reasons for not allowing Kikyo to enter the Opera house?"

Christine remained silent, continuing to trace the ring of her cup. She then answered, "I only wish to protect her. Although he is gone, I cannot help but think that some harm would come to us if she entered through those doors."

"No harm came to us when you rejoined the crew. Remain at ease, he is finally gone," said Raoul as he took her hand and clasped it into his.

She slightly grinned and added, "I know he is, but I cannot help but feel he is not entirely gone. It seems his true spirit is lingering in the Opera house, or so it felt when I first entered in the new house. There was a chill in the halls and it felt as though I have entered into his undying rage."

His face became serious and asked, "Why have you not told me of this?"

"It is nothing to be concerned about. What's more, it may not have been his spirit...We shall not speak of this any further, more importantly, we should rest if we wish to properly introduce Kikyo to Monsieur Andre and Firmin," Christine spoke as her warmth returned into her voice.

Raoul took Christine's hand and led her to their chambers. Passing through the hall, they heard Kikyo practicing. The notes she sung were in perfect song, but it needed something more to fill the notes...It needed more passion...

A large plume of fire lit the entire city, but quickly dimmed once the commander of the flames entered. Concealed with a black robe, the flame tamer climbed up the steps of the Opera Populaire and walked through the large doors. Glancing at the main hall of the Opera house, he recalled the plot he had made with his father.

_In the pits of hell, flames shoot out from the gaps of the ground of coal. The castle harboring the Prince of Darkness remained in the center of molted lava and flames. Rocks formed by the lava formed arcs and spikes as their form of trees and walls. _

_In a secluded area, there stood two shadowy figures, the Phantom and his son, the flame tamer. Sesshomaru kept his face concealed with his robe as his father spoke in a stern tone, "The plans are now in motion. What must you do?"_

_Sesshomaru replied in the same tone as the Phantom, "Avenge the misery you have suffered...by first taking down their daughter and then Raoul."_

_"You have learned well. Go forth now," said the Phantom who turned to his son. He continued to glare at him as he disappeared through a spiral of red flames. He grinned at the thought that perhaps, through his son, he may finally be able to exact revenge on the man who stole his true love..._

Silently walking through the many halls of the Opera house, Sesshomaru came across the dormitories. Sensing the pure auras of the performers from each room, he continued to walk through the long hall, until he found a secluded room. Steeping into the room, he found it rather small and filled with old furniture covered with a thick coat of dust. What caught his attention was the gap of the room.

The wall, opposite to the door, was nonexistent. He stepped in and noticed the familiar trail his father described when he took Christine through his lair. However, as he continued walking through the hall, the walls were collapsing and the lake was drying...it must have been from the incident leading to the Phantom's death.

Arriving back to the dormitory, he chose his lair and the site for his father's revenge. Remaining in the entrance of the lair, he cast his hand forward as flames emitted from the ground and shot up to the ceiling. The flames cleared and formed a supposed stained glass wall. The wall elaborately decorated with childish fantasy flowers, was nothing more but a pure illusion. Everything was set; all he needed was for her to come to him.

The following morning, Kikyo gazed out the carriage window as she felt her anxiety and ecstasy rise. Her father glanced at her and smiled, feeling content that she would be able to come close in accomplishing her dream. The carriages drew near the Opera house, but it seems far from reach, or so Kikyo thought.

Pulling up in front of the _Opera Populaire_, Kikyo rushed out of the doors, smiling as she grew closer to the building. She slightly ran up the steps and was near opening the doors, until she heard her mother stop her. Christine said in a cheerful tone, as she and Raoul climbed the steps, "Be patient my dear child. We cannot introduce you to the opera managers if you run ahead of us."

"Pardon me mother, but I can no longer hide my excitement," Kikyo spoke as her joy overwhelmed her voice.

Reaching the final step, Kikyo opened the large doors and stepped into the grand entrance. It has been nearly a decade since she has last seen the golden walls and grand staircase of the Opera house. Her renewed awe came to an end when one of the managers climbed down the steps and greeted them.

Monsieur Firmin bellowed with content as he climbed down the final steps, "What rare occasion to see the de Chagny family here!? It has truly been long since we have last seen all of you."

Raoul said as he shook Firmin's hand, "It is a pleasure to see you as well. We came because our daughter wishes to join your cast."

Firmin turned to Kikyo, happily commenting, "I see, well I see no trouble in allowing her to join our cast. Of course, one of these days, she was bound to join as her mother. I will inform Monsieur Andre at once and then we will inform you all when she is expected to perform."

"I thank you Monsieur, but would you rather not hear me audition than immediately place me in the cast," Kikyo asked with slight nervousness.

Firmin replied with a simple smile, "Not at all. Knowing that Christine is your mother, you would have surly inherited her talent. I best be off and bring you all the valuable information."

Monsieur Firmin climbed the steps and headed to the right of the grand halls. As they waited, Kikyo continued to daydream of the moment she would first perform on stage. She pictured her mother and father applauding, as well as the audience taking witness to her growing talent. At that moment, standing before the grand steps, she could feel her dreams nearly coming true. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of her mother, she hopes to surpass the success and talent her mother once held in the _Opera Populaire_. Glaring from a distance was Sesshomaru, keeping his view on Kikyo from the cracks of the ceiling from which a chandelier hung.

-()-

I know I said Sesshomaru wouldn't appear in this chapter, but it looks like he did. (Besides, I don't really like writing about one and not the other. -.-) Oh yeah, thank you reviewers! Well, thanks for reading!


	3. Ch 2: The Return of the Angel of Music

Sorry for the long update but here it is! Please R and R. No flames please! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Phantom of the Opera" characters! They belong to Gaston Leroux. The lyrics that might appear in this story belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Disclaimer: The lines that appear/…/are not mine. They belong to Shakespeare from his play "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

And now chapter 2…

-()-

Chapter 2: The Return of the Angel of Music

Waiting for the manager to come back from his discussion with Monsieur Andre, Kikyo glanced at the decorations of the main entrance. The stairs were sparkling from the careful cleansing they went through, as it clashed its peachy color with the scarlet carpet trimmed with gold thread. The vases that were suspended with early autumn flowers and vines and the sculptures of mythical lovers were glimmering from the light of the chandelier that cast its light on the attracting color of gold. Yet, the false sunshine held a certain evil, a malevolence coming from the flame tamer.

Glaring down on the young woman, Sesshomaru thought, "_At long last, she has come. The only trouble is how to lure her into her family's malice? How did my father lure her mother...? The Angel of Music...He was her false angel, and I shall do the same._"

He continued to watch as she began to grow impatient and concerned if the managers shall accept her into the crew. Finally, M. Firmin came and said with an utmost content, "Monsieur Andre has made his decision and he has chosen to allow you, Mademoiselle, to join the Opera crew!"

Kikyo clasped her hands and said with relief, "Thank you Monsieur! When shall I join rehearsals?"

"If it is not too early, you may come tomorrow. Perhaps by then, the last few new performers may have been enlisted," said M. Firmin with a weak grin.

Raoul then said with a countering grin as he walked next to his daughter and began leading her off, "Remain at ease. I will make sure she will be here early."

Sesshomaru continued to watch as the group below him continued with their small talk and then bid their farewells. His glare remained on Kikyo, watching her walk to the doors and stepping out of sight. Seeing the protectiveness her mother and father had displayed, it then became a concern to him that she would not keep his secret hidden.

He summoned a plume of fire with a snap from his fingers and became teleported from the attic of the opera house to the empty dormitory. He walked through the stained glass wall and climbed the brittle steps down. He came near the bay of the drying lake and rode the small boat on the shallow waters. Arriving to his father's long forgotten musical grounds, he stepped out of the boat and headed to the bent organ.

His fingers ran through each key, quickly transforming the broken instrument into a piano from hell. The edges of the instrument were sharp and the keys were hard as the rocks formed from dried lava. On top of the dark red finish of the piece was a mere candle center piece. As the only source of light, he continued roaming through and came across the replica of Christine.

He glared at the likeness of the Countess, cursing her for the misery of his father...and for passing his revenge to him. He places his hand on top of the mannequin's head as poisonous acid seeped from his fingers. The mannequin then began to melt, turning into a gray solution that then ran into the waters of the lake.

Sesshomaru then walked to the wall of shattered mirrors and broken glass. Looking at each mirror, he heard the Phantom say in his thoughts, "_Your face is far from hideous and has no need to be hidden by a piece of cloth. Yet, if my legend is to continue, you must wear my mask. Don't let the heiress see your face for if she does, a disaster would fall on you._"

He turned to a table, from which a black mask appeared by a plume of red smoke. He walked to the table, picking up the mask that nearly covered his entire face. He then thought, "_I will not repeat my father's mistake. I have no need to let her see me in flesh and blood_," his attention then went to the music box that had begun to play, "_Yet, I cannot disobey his orders. I will wear his cursed mask and prevent my father's disaster to pass on to me_."

The following morning, Kikyo relived her anxiety as she took the same ride to the _Opera Populaire_. Raoul watched his daughter's nerves build up once more, slightly smiling as she gazed out the window. There was nothing for her to worry about for if Monsieur Firmin's words are true, she had inherited her mother's gift. If not, her mother had prepared her through the ruthless lessons of torture in the music room.

The carriage arrived once more in front of the Opera house. The stairs were crowded with the cast, almost as though they were circling around another performer. Kikyo stepped out of the carriage, yet she did not run to the stairs that had been fueled with her excitement...her sprints were held back by her curiosity surrounding the minor uproar of the performers.

She walked near the flight of stairs as her father followed her. Continuing their stare, a young woman stepped out of the crowd and was being followed by two other performers. Kikyo heard the young woman say as the crowd turned its attention to her, "I am terribly sorry but I can no longer reside nor be near this Opera house...so long as I am the understudy of that girl."

The performer that pursuit her said in a pleading tone, "Please Ayame, we beg of you not to leave. Not at this moment. We have gone through so many rehearsal hours."

Ayame turned to Kagome, pausing for a moment but then continued, "You might as well cancel the performance tonight. I am certain she would have thought of the performance as a flaw without her."

She walked off with a fury as Monsieur Andre and Firmin attempted to catch up to her. They began ranting gibberish as they tried to solve their dilemma through their foreign talk. M. Andre then exclaimed, "What are we to do Monsieur Firmin!? We are running short on time and there is no one left to take the role of Hippolyta!"

Monsieur Firmin glanced back and forth at the performers and M. Andre. His eyes then went to Kikyo and Raoul who remained as bystanders. He then said with utmost relief, "I have the solution! Mademoiselle de Chagny shall take the place of Mademoiselle Ayame!"

Eyes then went to Kikyo who then spoke in a nervously shaking voice, "You jest Monsieur. It is my first day and I had presumed my role to be minor."

"It is a slightly minor role, but do not worry yourself. We will all rehearse until your lines are fluent," said Monsieur Firmin with a pleading grin.

"Take this opportunity, Kikyo. Your mother would have taken this chance and would have pushed you to do the same," Raoul whispered to her ear.

She sighed and replied, "Monsieur Firmin, I will take your offer."

There grew an applause and cheer, with the only clear voice coming from Monsieur Andre, "Mademoiselle Giry, would you please accompany her to Ayame's former quarters."

As the stairs cleared, a young woman stepped forward. After bidding her father goodbye, Kikyo then turned to the maiden with gentleness in her face. She then said, "If you would please follow me."

She followed the maiden from the steps to the up the flight of marble stairs and to the left hallway. The maiden then spoke as she continued to lead, "It has truly been long, and has it not Kikyo?"

Kikyo turned to her gaze from the finely finished walls to the woman in front of her. She questioned with suspicion, "Might I know who you are?"

"Why, it seems you have forgotten. I am Tsubaki...we have met when you came to see your mother perform one night," she replied slightly turning to the curious woman.

"Tsubaki...? Pardon me but I have now remembered. Truly, it has been long since my mother's performance," Kikyo said as she blushed from her slight memory loss.

Tsubaki slightly giggled and continued leading her through the dormitories, "I cannot blame you for forgetting. Seeing that you have joined the cast, we have indeed inherited our mothers' gifts."

"You are in the cast as well," Kikyo asked as she continued her gaze at the walls.

"Yes, but we are not the only ones to have taken from our mothers. Has your mother ever spoken of Carlotta," Tsubaki asked with a more serious tone.

Kikyo merely replied, "I am afraid she has not."

Tsubaki then continued with her serious voice, "Carlotta's daughter, Kagura, has taken quite a lot after her mother. Carlotta has retired not too long ago and her daughter had enrolled in the cast soon after. Despite her cruelness and selfishness she took after her mother, her voice is truly beautiful and unique."

"Was she the one that caused the incident with that performer," Kikyo asked as her attention went to the woman in front of her.

"I have a reason to believe that her mother's soul is transferred to Kagura when we rehearse. She is no spiteful off stage but once the spotlight beams down on her, her mood changes and she is one that no one should be displeased. During this morning's rehearsals, she had constantly complained that Ayame was given a major and demanded that her lines be shortened. As you saw, poor Ayame could not take it anymore and has now resigned her role and career," Tsubaki replied as her tone grew softer, yet serious.

At long last, they arrived in front of a red finished wooden door. Tsubaki turned the door knob and entered inside, followed by Kikyo. The room seemed to have grown in a radiant glow from the candle centerpieces on the vanity and nightstands. The small bed was draped in a red satin sheet trimmed with gold thread that had matched the asters and roses on the peach coated vanity. The walls were painted scarlet with a golden pattern of grape and maple leaves.

Tsubaki walked to the armoire that remained hidden by the shadows of the vanity and bed. She opened the doors and pulled out an ivory gown trimmed with silver thread. She said as she flattened the dress trying to remove the wrinkles, "I do hope this will fit. When you are finish, we will head to the main stage to commence with the rehearsals."

Kikyo gazed at the gown lovingly not noticing that Tsubaki had stepped out of the room. She removed her pale yellow dress and matching bonnet, allowing her hair to move freely from its confinement. She placed on the flowing ivory dress and gazed at the large vanity mirrors; the sleeves were long and stretched down nearly to her feet, the collar was laced with a white cloth, slightly feeling that the collar was choking her and surprising her when she turned, she had noticed the dress had a long train of ivory silk. She pulled the train up and stepped out of the room.

She searched for Tsubaki, roaming her eyes through the halls. She could not find her until Tsubaki had entered through the left of the hall in her costume. She wore a simple pale green dress that merely reached the end of her knees that had matched the rainbow colored wings on her back. She wore white tights and simple black shoes.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting long. I needed to change into my costume but since you are ready, we may head to the stage," said Tsubaki in a gentle tone.

They walked back down the hall, arriving to the platform of the grand staircase. They continued walking straight, making a left turn and stopping in front of large red curtains. The curtains were trimmed with gold with one side patterned with the first initial of the opera house and the other side with the second initial. Tsubaki entered, holding the curtain up so that Kikyo may see and enter in the main stage.

Kikyo walked down the steep steps of the aisle following Tsubaki who led her to the backstage door. They entered the door and climbed up the steps taking them to the enormous stage. The performers paused when both women entered but their somber glare remained on the new performer. Monsieur Firmin then broke the silence, saying, "If you would please come to the center of the stage Mademoiselle de Chagny." Once in place, he handed her and then continued, "If you would please sing a line from the script so that we may see what improvements we need to do."

Kikyo flipped through the booklet and skimmed through the text in search for a line that may show her voice's true potential. Choosing the last lines in the final act of "_A Midsummer Night's Dream_," she then began to sing, " '_Tis strange, my Theseus, that lovers speak of_."

She paused and waited for the other performer to sing his piece. A silence grew until the performer, Muso, remembered his cue and joined Kikyo in the center as he sung, "_More strange than true; I never may believe/These antique fables, nor these fairy toys./Lovers and madmen have such seething brains,/Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend/More than cool reason ever comprehends./The lunatic, the lover, and the poet/Are of imagination all compact:/One sees more devils than vast tell can hold,/That is, the madman: the lover, all as frantic,/Sees Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt:/The poets eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,/Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.\And as imagination bodies forth/The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen/Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing/A local habitation and a name./Such tricks barb strong imagination,/That, if it would but apprehend some joy,/It apprehends some bringer of that joy;/Or in the night, imagining some fear,/How easy is a bush supposed a bear."_

Kikyo then continued with her lines, "_But all the story of the night told over,/And all their minds transfigured so together./More witnesseth, than fancy's images/And grows to something of great constancy;/But, howsoever, strange and admirable._"

M. Firmin then interrupted the rest of the piece, stating, "I do believe we have picked a fine candidate to play this role. All that remains a concern is that you remember the lines by tonight as well as the stage orientation. Now, commence once more with the rehearsals from Act I of the play."

The rehearsals began once more and as Tsubaki stated, Kagura began to complain about her lines and the lines of the others. Despite the minor setbacks, they continued with their practices until there was only but a mere hour left from the performance.

The opera version of the well respected play was received with great applause from the beginning and ending of each act. A dream was nearly coming true, Kikyo thought as the spotlight beamed on her face. She watched her mother and father applaud with such ecstasy at every end of her lines. Yet, she heard part of the applause coming from the audience. Knowing how her voice was being welcomed by the people who have not yet known her made her feel confident and filled with utmost content.

By the end of the performance, the stage was filled with rejoicing performers, each commenting and congratulating the other for their outstand performance. After receiving a congratulatory from Muso and Tsubaki, Kikyo walked out of the stage, exiting to the right of the stage. She walked down the hall and paused when she heard Carlotta's shrilling voice commenting the mellow voice of Kagura.

"Lovely, my dear Kagura, your voice was absolutely lovely," the past soprano bellowed with such motherly love as she patted the rosy blushing cheeks of her daughter.

Kagura giggled for a moment and then said, "Of course mother. I have taken my voice from you."

"Ah, but you have much to learn to reach the ranking of my voice. For now my sweet child, you have the song of an angle...and soon a goddess," Carlotta commented as she patted her child's cheeks again.

Kikyo commenced her walk through the maze of grand halls again. She thought of Kagura and her mother, how much her mother praised her. Despite the fact some of her comments were negative, the mother's voice was in such a sweet loving voice.

It has been long since she heard her own mother praise her with such high remarks. Perhaps, in her first performance, she has pleased her mother. Kikyo then wondered as she continued roaming through the halls, who did Christine please when she first sung? Was her voice in such perfection or was it a struggle that has been passed to her daughter?

Kikyo continued walking through the maze like halls as she felt tiresome from her long walk and performance. Her steps grew slower when she entered into a long secluded hall. Hoping the exit of the dormitories would be by the darkened end, she continued her unending journey as the hall darkened by every door she passed.

Filled with utmost fatigue, she opened one of the shunned doors and entered the room. She turned on the gas lamp and sat on the dusty chair as she began examining the room. The few pieces of furniture were old and covered with a thin sheet of dust. Her attention then went to the stained glass wall.

The wall was heavily decorated with enchanting flowers, set with every color imaginable. The flowers were set on a blue tinted background and bordered with the colors of the flowers. Kikyo stood up and approached the wall; her fingers traced the black lining of the conjoined pieces.

Kikyo slightly yawned and sat on the plain bed. She was overcome with such drowsiness, she could not resist but fall asleep. Entering into her light slumber, soft footsteps were taping on the concrete ground that seems to come from the other side of the stained glass. She quickly woke up, sitting up as she watched a man cloaked in a black cape stepping through the stained glass.

She heard him whisper in a deep mellow voice, "Kikyo...You have finally come."

The mysterious man walked to her, glaring down at the seemingly frightened maiden. She returned the stare, her eyes seeking to find his true gaze concealed by the black mask. He kneeled, placing his leather gloved hand on her cheek as he whispered again in his tone, "You have nothing to fear, but to rejoice. Your grandfather sent me here...I am your Angel of Music."

Her eyes widened, asking in a matching whisper, "My grandfather sent you? Why? What purpose does an angel have to seek me?"

He replied as he stood up, "He has told me of dream...how he was able to see deep within your heart and find your true purpose in life. He wants your dream to come true and has thus asked me to come to your aid. With my help, your voice will be beyond perfection."

"How should I know you are not tricking me," she asked with innocence in her voice.

He smirked and then began to sing with such high momentum, "_Gentle flower of the Sun, why must you shun your angle away_? _Let me make your song take flight_."

She joined in, singing with such passion that would have made her mother swell up in tears, "_My soul strongly shuns you away but my heart obeys. If you are my Angel of Music, take me as your pupil and show me the song of the gates of heaven_."

"For now, you must rest. I will enter into your next dream and then, your lessons will commence," the mysterious man whispered to her.

His hand stretched forward, offering her to take his hand. She place her hand into his light grasp and by their touch, a mystical blue flame appeared. The flame quickly dissipated and a black rose blossomed. Taking the rose, she gazed at its dark petals, noticing a bit of the blue flame lingering within the petals.

As Kikyo traced the petals, the mysterious man said as he stepped through the stained glass, "Consider the rose as my gratitude for accepting me as your Angel of Music. Until we meet again."

She looked at the stained glass wall, wondering why such a heavenly figure carried with him a type of flame ability. Feeling her thoughts were blasphemy against her Angel, she set those thoughts aside and gazed lovingly at the rose. She laid back down on the soft pillow of her plain bed, clutching onto the rose as she silently dreamt.

Deep down below of the _Opera Populaire_, Sesshomaru lit a candle by a snap of his fingers. The flame was large and lit the entire secret lair. A mirage appeared of his father and he said as he took off his mask, "She has fallen for the first of my plans, father. All I ask of you know is to wait until she has fallen into the pits of her family's corruption."

"Well done, although I fear she will not sway easily by your impersonation of an angel," the Phantom spoke as his voice grew with hate from his past downfall.

"In due time, her soul will be tainted enough to obey my every whim. She will take her life and her mother will then follow. The cursed man will then be left to dwell over the grief of his lost meanings of life," Sesshomaru countered as he was fueled by his father's anger.

Not wishing to hear his father's concerns any longer, he put out the flame by a wave of his hand. The room became dark, the silence filled with the loud commotion coming from the cast high above his lair. Blending with the shadows of his lair, Sesshomaru could not help but think what a burden it had become to fulfill his father's last whims.

Past the early morning, Kikyo awoke to the sounds coming from outside of her room. She recognized the shouting voice and quickly got up. She ran to the door and opened it taking view of her frantic mother. Christine tightly embraced her daughter, slightly letting tears run down her pale cheeks and land on her daughter's dark locks.

Christine spoke with such quickness and worry, "My sweet daughter! You have worried me from your disappearance last night!" She slightly loosened her grip, making eye contact as she continued, "Why have you run off without a word to your father and me?"

Kikyo replied with a bit of drowsiness in her voice, "I am sorry for making your worry mother. I went in search of you and father...I lost my way and spend the night here." She paused and then continued with innocence in her voice, "But do not fear mother, for the Angel of Music has been sent by my grandfather. His rose has given me his protection."

Christine slightly gasped as she stared at the lightened content from Kikyo's face. Her attention then went to the rose that was clutched tightly, the thorns overwhelmed from piercing the maiden's grasp.

-()-

At long last, they meet. Well, as for the next chapter, I am still debating on which one of the two "chosen ones" should be "Raoul." -.- Until that's settled, I will keep your curiosity flowing. :) Why do I always forget!? Thank you reviewers! (You guys keep me going! .) Well, with all that said, thanks for reading!


	4. Ch 3: Autumn Metamorphosis

I have made up my mind and decided to use one of my fantasy love triangles for his story, which is: SesshomaruxKikyoxBankotsu. Yep, Bankotsu will be "Raoul" or something like him. I don't want to give anything away, so I will shut up for now. ;)

Please R and R. No flames please! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Phantom of the Opera" characters! They belong to Gaston Leroux. The lyrics that might appear in this story belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Disclaimer: The lines that appear/…/are not mine. They belong to Shakespeare from his play "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

And now chapter 3…

-()-

Chapter 3: Autumn Metamorphosis

Back at the mansion in Kikyo's chamber, Kikyo continues to sleep for she was truly worn out by her first performance. Draped by her pearl sheets trimmed with a valance of clear beads, she continues to clutch onto the black rose. In her deep slumber, she had not noticed that her mother had sat next to her. Stroking through her daughter's dark ebony locks, Christine gently took the rose out of her hands, avoiding the sharp thorns.

Once out of her hands, Christine glared at the mysterious flower. Her fingers traced down the stem, slightly pricking her finger on the sharply curved thorns. With a soft touch, her finger immediately began to bleed. She then wondered, how could her daughter clutch onto a rebellious rose, without having a bloody hand. Surly, the giver of the flower had picked and given the flower to Kikyo, in hopes that it shall only be touched by her pure hand.

With sympathy for her daughter, she placed the rose in a vase, sitting on her vanity, with a small gathering of red and pink primroses from the garden. The black rose was unwonted as it remained in the center of the flowers for its dark hue and prickly thorns. She then looked at her pricked finger, cleaning the small claret river with her handkerchief.

Wrapping her finger with the plain handkerchief, she thought about what Kikyo had said in her trance-like state. She claims to have seen the "Angel of Music" and that he had been sent by her grandfather. _They were lies_, she silently thought as her hand caressed her daughter's locks, _He did not keep his promise...He sent me a fiend rather than a guardian...If he truly sent this angel, why now? Why did you send her an angel when she truly has no need of his help? Or has another man taken the cruel mind and soul to cause her harm, just as he had done to me?_

Christine slightly jerked when she heard a soft creek coming from the bedroom door. She sighed in relief when she noticed it was Raoul; silently entering in the room, he took a seat next to her nightstand. His gaze remained on his daughter for a moment, but soon went to Christine.

In a soft whisper, he said with a slight grin, "She truly deserves her long rest. Her performance last night was astounding, was it not Christine?"

"It truly was. My precious Kikyo, what pain shall I give when I tell you that you must go to your encore performance tonight," Christine softly said as her face grew tender and her hand growing with such affection.

There grew a silence between both parents in which they seem to avoid the topic of the mysterious "Angel of Music." Yet for Christine, the black rose sitting in the center of the vase became a constant reminder. Raoul noticed the rose and hesitated when he said, "It seems as though he is not gone...Who do you suppose this person is claiming such an atrocity?"

Christine paused, and said with a misery in her voice, "If we had told her of our past dilemma, then perhaps she would have easily avoided his spirit." Christine looked at the floor and silently thought. She then said, "It was that room she was in. It must be the heart of his haunting and our precious daughter was unfortunate to stumble into his lair," she turned to Raoul, glaring with soulless eyes, "If we prevent her from going back to his lair, she will remain away from his clutches. It is the best we can do for now."

"But how," Raoul asked with a half-sullen tone. Christine did not reply but merely looked back at the rug underneath the bed. For a moment, they remained silent until Raoul answered his own question, "Knowing how crafty he can be, he will find a way to tempt her, no matter in which room she stays...You are right, the only way she will remain safe is if she does not roam the halls of the Opera house...She will wait for us to pick her up backstage."

Christine looked back at the slumbering Kikyo, speaking in a voice that appeared to be a mere murmur, "I do hope this will work. Our last resort would be to take her out of the _Opera Populaire_."

In silence once more, they gazed at their daughter. Their hopes and dreams for a better life seemed to have dissipated in that moment when Kikyo spoke of the "Angel." They now lived in fear once more, but this time, they are under the suffering of the true _Phantom of the Opera_.

The sun continued its slow movements, positioning itself in the early afternoon light. Its rays cast itself through the window panes and hit the maiden that still dreamt of the mysterious male that visited her in her dreams.

_The dream realm was a field covered with a pastel work of pink and white clouds. The sky was cleared of rain clouds, in a foggy blue color and covered with the early night stars. Kikyo walked on the unknown surface, not knowing where she should go or who to find._

_She continued passing through the waft clouds until she heard a voice calling for her. She recognized the voice...It was Sesshomaru, who clearly stood out from the clouds for his dark attire._

_She turned to him, as he continued approaching her. When he came within arm's reach, she said in her innocent voice, "Master, what I thought was a dream is truly my reality. I thought I shall never see you again."_

_He glared into her soft hazel eyes, stating as he brushed his hand through her long loose locks, "And I fear your nightmare shall come true."_

_"Why is that," she asked with a shocked expression and with eyes that could easily swell up with tears._

_"It is not my wish to abandon you, not in the state you are in. Nor is it my wish to disobey your grandfather's plea, but I fear it shall be so. It is your mother and father, Kikyo. They find it that it is mockery you are saying, but truly they envy you. They intend to separate us… I have heard their countless pleas for me to enter in their dreams but I did not reply, for they did not have the potential you have," he answered as his hand continued caressing her dark locks._

_She looked away from his glare and then stated, "It cannot be so. My mother...Her voice is that of an angel, a truly gifted angel...no, more like the voice of a goddess. If you did not answer her pleas, then who did?"_

_His voice grew colder when he answered as he avoided the truth, "She learned on her own, with the help of her earthly teachers. Soon enough, you will see the difference between your voice of an angel and her voice of a bitter woman...Enough questions, for I can no longer stay in this realm...Kikyo, go against your father's orders and come back to the dormitory from where we met. Do no shun me away, for if you do, this will be the last time we shall ever meet."_

_He took her hand and another black rose blossomed from the mystic blue flame. Taking the rose with both hands, she replied as she gazed longingly at the flower, "I will come." Placing a swift kiss on her forehead, she woke up from the persisting rays..._

Kikyo woke up, slightly startling her mother when she sat up. She placed her hand on her forehead, trying to recall the lips that had kissed her. His touch was cold for even the strands of her hair that were caressed seemed to have undergone through an icy winter. She turned to her mother who asked, "Have you rested well Kikyo?"

She gazed at her mother with troubled eyes, "I have mother...thank you for asking."

"You have left us truly worried last night. So much so, we could not tell you how proud we were from your performance," her father said with a grin on his face.

"And I am sure tonight's performance will be extraordinary as well. My dear Kikyo, will you endure an encore tonight," her mother asked with strong sincerity in her tone.

Kikyo turned to Christine, her thoughts went back to what Sesshomaru had said. Her mind drifts to his statements, but her heart suggests otherwise. Replying to her mother's question in an unknown serious tone, she said, "I believe I can. And I will perform in a song pleasing to you, mother."

Christine became puzzled, but could not question her daughter for she was being led away by Raoul. He said with a smile, "Then we shall leave you to rest for a while longer. We will leave at half past six."

When the door closed and a silence grew in her room, Kikyo pulled off her sheets and picked up her hidden rose. She thought as she traced the dark petals, "_It cannot be true...What he said does not quite seem right. If they were truly flaring with envy, they were best off not letting me join the cast...and my mother would not have taught me those horrid music lessons. But he is an angel, he cannot lie_."

She stood up and walked to her vanity, her eyes remaining focused on the vase. Placing her rose next to the other flower, she thought again, "_If it is true, then it explains why they have never mentioned the Angel of Music to me. I do not know who to believe_."

Taking a seat by her vanity, she began to gaze at her reflection. She started passing her fingers through her long loose bangs, trying to bring some warmth to the icy strands. She remained in that position as the long hours slowly passed by. Turning from the mirror, she glanced at her clock and had noticed the hour had approached.

Dressed in her lilac dress, she left her dark chambers and climbed down the stairs to the mansion's main entrance. Her father had climbed three steps, in which she presumed he was about to enter in her sanctuary. Her mother remained by the door; her quietness clearly expressed her somber mood.

Kikyo continued climbing down the steps, refusing to make eye contact with her father, especially with her mother. Yet, as she was passing by, her father said in a dull tone, "Before we head to the Opera house, I must inform you that you are to remain backstage and wait for us to come pick you up. Is that understood Kikyo?"

Kikyo's serious gaze remained on the ground when she answered, "Yes father."

"Then, let us leave," her mother joined in, matching the voice her husband had previously spoken in.

The ride from the mansion to the _Opera Populaire_ seemed to be the silence of a mournful family. Christine glances at Kikyo as she looks out the window. She wondered how the blush in her daughter's cheeks had turned pale and how the sweetness in her voice had now turned sour. It seemed her long slumber's dream, or nightmare, had prevailed in quenching its thirst from drinking the waters of her youth and joy.

During the performance, the audience had also seen the change in the aspiring soprano. Her voice had lost its softness and tenderness they were beginning to grow fond and in love with. Instead, they heard a rash harsh voice that had taken over the appearance of an angel. The change became a mystery to the performers as well, yet they thought that it was due from her absence from rehearsals. If not for Kagura's saintly voice, the audience would have asked for a refund which would surly have angered Monsieur Firmin and Andre.

After the final curtain call, Kikyo went against her father's orders and headed to the dormitory halls of the Opera house. She roamed in silence, hearing the muffled commotion from backstage. As she walked, she glared at the ground as if she blamed the steps she took last night. Heading to the secluded hall, she felt the air become cooler and the lamps becoming dimmer. She continued walking down the hall until she reached the familiar door.

The door creaked open and she entered inside. She turned on the gas lamp which quickly lit up the room. The stained glass wall reflected the small light radiating from the lamp. She sat on the bed and waited for her "Angel" to come out from the other side of the stained glass wall. As time went by, she grew tiresome, until her back rested on the headboard and she had fallen asleep.

Sesshomaru had done well hiding behind the gleam of the glass colored pieces. He silently entered the room, making sure his steps were soft and silent. He sat next to her, waiting for her hazel eyes to beam out and shine its pure light on him. Minutes passed, but she would not wake up. It then came across him that she might have grown tired from the false piece of news he had delivered in her dreams. Realizing that, he decided to clear her thoughts of her parent's supposed jealousy in hopes that his father's revenge would come slowly and painful.

He removed his eyes from her slumbering state and rested his glare on the ground. As much as he tried, his eyes could not help but return to her. Her eyes were delicately shut and seemed to open if she had heard but a mere creak. Her flowing hair traced the frame of her face, complementing the moon's tone within her skin. He thought of how such a young girl could have taken hold of such beauty, for through his eyes, she would have been putting men into war for her hand. Yet, through such a bewitching countenance, he saw the anger his father feels deep in the emptiness of his heart.

At last, she makes a hesitating expression on her face and awakens to see her "Angel' sitting beside her. Kikyo sits up and said in a drowsy whisper, "Forgive me Master. It would have been best you should have awakened me, if I have made you wait for so long."

"Rest at ease, I would not have been as rude as to whisper into your ear and order you to wake," he replied with a calm tone.

Sesshomaru's eyes diverted back to the ground as he stood up and slightly walked to the stained glass wall. He turned to her, stating, "You have disappointed me. For a moment, I thought the nightmare within your dream would have brought power into your voice. Instead, it completely shattered it."

"I beg you forgiveness Master," she pleaded with her hands clasped to him.

He turned once more to the wall and replied with ice in his voice, "In truth, I should be the one asking for mercy. What I have said in your dream was in fact a lie." He glanced at her for a moment, taking a hidden joy in her shock and distress. He then continued, "I thought that perhaps with this lie, you would have been provided with strength to make up for what it lacks. I now see that you need to be inspired by something else."

Kikyo gazed at the sheets of her bed feeling a few tears trying to escape from her eyes. "Master, if I may know, what is it that I lack? What could have driven such a heavenly figure such as you to resort into lies," she asked with innocence in her voice.

He smirked to himself as his glare remained on the wall when he answered, "It is passion, Kikyo. Whether it is driven out of love or flowing from your hate towards me, it needs to shine out and give life to the noise coming from your throat. Without it, it sounds far worse than what a crow slurs out. Only then, could your voice be called a song."

Walking towards her, his cold glare turned slightly warm as her tear-filled eyes met his. He said with slight displeasure, "Now that you know what you lack, try to put that rage in sync with your throat. Recite your auditioning lines."

Kikyo turned from Sesshomaru as she concentrated in pleasing her teacher. It was not anger she had felt for him, but rather appreciation for his endurance with her. She closed her eyes and placed her gratitude with the lines she set free, "_But all the story of the night told over,/And all their minds transfigured so together./More witnesseth, than fancy's images/And grows to something of great constancy;/But, howsoever, strange and admirable._"

His ears felt the lines come to life for she had succeeded in taking his advice. Despite the minor flaws she still carried through her lines, she has proven to him she will not be a disappointment. He turned away from her and headed to the stained glass wall. Remaining firm as his eyes remained on the wall he said to her, "We will move on next time we meet. I now see your grandfather was right despite how many times I have doubted him."

Sesshomaru stepped through the stained glass wall and snapped his fingers when he disappeared. Kikyo wondered what he could have meant from his gesture. She then realized a black rose had sprouted out, once again, from her hands. Yet, this flower was different. It had not come into a full bloom.

Moments after Sesshomaru's disappearance, Kikyo heard a knock from the door. She got up and opened the door to be embraced in tight arms from her worried mother. Remembering the lie Sesshomaru said, Kikyo set aside her sullen anger and embraced her mother in return.

Christine whispered to her daughter as tears began rolling down her eyes, "I was so worried, my dearest Kikyo. I thought something terrible might have happened to you."

Kikyo whispered back with gentleness in her tone, "Forgive me mother. I disobeyed your and father's orders. I should have at least told someone to inform you and father where I would be."

Raoul entered the room, placing one hand on Christine's shoulder and the other on top of Kikyo's head. He said with a similar whisper, "For now, I am glad you acknowledge your mistake. However, if you disobey orders again, I am afraid we might have to give you a drastic punishment."

"I will do my best to not disobey then," Kikyo replied as she let go of her mother.

Christine and Raoul left the room as he consoled her and she finished her last few tears. Just as Kikyo was about to exit the room, she heard Sesshomaru whisper in her mind.

"_Kikyo, I bid you not to leave me."_

She whispered back by her thoughts, "_Master, I can no longer stay, so long as my mother and father forbid me to_."

"_Then, see me before each performance. Arrive at least an hour earlier, but promise you shall not stop seeing me_."

She thought for a moment and then replied, "_If we must resort to that, then I shall come then_."

Kikyo silently left just when her mother was about to call for her. Sesshomaru heard the door creak shut as he remained hidden by the shadows behind the wall. Soon after, he climbed down the steps and rode the boat to his hidden lair. Once arriving to the shore of the lake, he took his mask off and flung the piece to the piano hitting a few keys as it fell. Walking to the half-burnt candle resting on a small table in the center of the lair, he lit it up and the illusion of his father appeared.

The flame grew larger when the Phantom spoke, "Scoundrel, she was entirely in your hands and you set her free!"

Sesshomaru countered with the same fury, "I thought you would have enjoyed a slow painful taste of revenge, but I see I was wrong. If you don't like my tactics, then by all means, take over from here."

"My plans would foil if I went in your place. Now that I know your lie and confession were part of your plans, then I will no longer intervene," said the Phantom in a calmer tone.

Sesshomaru's tone grew serious, "I hope you intend to. I cannot concentrate nor remain at ease when you continue to intrude. I will promise you that you will have your revenge. Raoul will pay for all the misery he has made you go through."

The Phantom glared at his son for a moment and then disappeared with the dissipated flame. Sesshomaru collapsed on the hard ground, frustrated over his father's interference. Yet, he had a point. Kikyo was near bringing the destruction to the de Chagny family if he had not confessed. If he had continued on with his lie, she would have probably taken her own life by the end of the next performance and his burden would have been lifted. His plan's turning point could have been when he gazed at her slumber face...

Two years seem to have gone faster than the warmth of spring on a frosty winter day. By Kikyo and Sesshomaru's secret meetings, her voice has gradually improved and had been noticed by Christine. Yet, as her voice continues to improve so has the growing jealousy Kagura continues to be fueled by Carlotta.

On a late autumn night, Christine plays a piece on her lonely piano who longs to be played as Kikyo practices. Since the day Kikyo had first spoken of the "Angel of Music," she had stopped taking lessons from her mother and chose to solely follow the teachings of Sesshomaru. Christine, unaware of her daughter's private lessons, feels a gap in her heart that had been made from her daughter's rejection.

As she continues playing the piece, she recalls back the songs she and Kikyo used to sing in their gardens. She longs to have her daughter close by her and sing in harmony as they used to. Now, Kikyo has grown into the years of early adulthood and is slowly departing from Christine's arms. Not to mention, her voice is surpassing the legacy of her mother's voice and is slowly reaching the title of the heavenly voices. Christine paused and thought back about the supposed "Angel." She thought if in fact the "Angel of Music" truly existed and had helped her daughter or if the "Angel" was nothing more than an imposter.

Raoul quietly entered and approached Christine who remained silent and kept her finger still on the keys. He sat next to her on the bench and began, "Kikyo is nearly approaching the age of seventeen. She has truly grown."

Christine replied, matching Raoul's melancholic voice, "She truly has. Soon she shall marry and move to a distant land to live the remainder of her life away from us."

"That is what I need to talk to you about," Raoul said with his tone growing more serious. Christine looked at him when he continued, "I believe it is best we find her a suitable husband and have her leave the cursed _Opera Populaire_."

Christine turned away from Raoul's gaze and began to play the piece again. He continued as she franticly played, "I know you are still concerned about this "Angel of Music" she spoke of and I feel that perhaps this mind end your fears."

Christine paused again and spoke as though she is whispering, "As much as I try, I cannot stop worrying about her safety. Yet, if he does exist, he has not done harm to her but he has rather done a good deed to her. Even so, I feel that you are right. Her engagement might put our fears aside. But what is she chooses not to marry?"

"Then, we shall arrange that they spend time together and in due time, she is bound to fall in love with her suitor. My only concern is who to offer her hand to. Her life has been full of riches, in which only a Count could sustain," Raoul commented as he deeply thought.

Christine stood up and said as she approached the door, "We shall discuss this later. For now, she will continue going to the Opera house."

She left Raoul deep in thought over the possible suitors for Kikyo. He thought of all the Counts in the court. So far, none of the obnoxious young Counts in the French court could truly bring his daughter happiness.

The following morning, Christine entered into Kikyo's chambers. A smile beamed from her daughter's face when she placed a kiss on head. Kikyo continued brushing her dark locks on her vanity as Christine spoke in a tender tone, "My dear Kikyo, how you have grown. Soon, you will sprout your wings and have your own family."

"You worry too much, mother. My only pursuit right now is to remain in the Opera house, at least until I find my true love," Kikyo stated as another smile radiated from her face.

Christine's voice turned stern when she questioned, "Has your heart made you blind yet? Is there someone you admire in the cast or in the audience?"

Kikyo placed her brush on the table and stared at the drawer where a black rose was hidden. She replied, matching her mother's tone, "Honestly, there is someone...but he is a mysterious person. I feel that I will never know him more than the person I see him as."

Christine's voice grew gentle once again, "Who is he?"

Kikyo hesitated when she replied, remembering her promise to Sesshomaru, "No one...It is better off I remain in ignorant bliss. If I knew him deeper than I already do, I might never get to see him again."

"Oh Kikyo, I thought this day will never come. You are falling in love," Christine gently said as she embraced Kikyo.

Kikyo remained silent as her mother wrapped her arms around her. She silently thought what the warmth inside her truly was. For now, all she knew was that it was far from the feeling of love.

Once arriving to the Opera house in the late afternoon, Kikyo rushed through the doors and headed to the dormitory halls. Christine quickened her steps, in hopes that she may finally know why her daughter hurries into the building and why she forgets to bid her mother and father goodbye. Just when she had entered in the main hall, she was gone.

Christine sighed in despair and heard Raoul say, "Why can't you believe her when she told she only does not want to come late to her rehearsals?"

"If that is the truth, why does she run as thought she is trying to hide something," Christine countered.

Before their minor argument could reach its peak, Monsieur Andre and Firmin entered from the hall leading to the main stage. They arrived with a young man following them as they greeted the patrons.

Monsieur Firmin quickly shook Raoul and Christine's hands as he quickly said, "Thank goodness the both of you are still here! If you have left, we might have never introduced you to our new patron."

Monsieur Andre brought the young Count forward and said, "May I introduce you to the _Opera Populaire_'s supporting patron, the Count Bankotsu de Automne."

Bankotsu smiled and said, "It is an honor to finally meet the de Chagny family."

Raoul returned the smile and replied, "It is certainly nice to meet you too," he presented Christine and continued, "this is my wife, Christine de Chagny and unfortunately, I cannot introduce my daughter at this moment."

The young Count reassured, "Perhaps another time or when we will discuss how we will contribute to the Opera house."

Raoul became silent for a moment and thought of his conversation with Christine from last night. It seemed that his prayers had been answered with the appearance of the young Count. "Then, shall we meet tonight," Raoul swiftly asked.

M. Andre interrupted, "It seems, Monsieur, you are in a hurry to attend to these business matters. We shall leave you so that you may continue to tend to this matter."

Just when the managers left, Raoul has already begun to scheme his plans with the young Count.

Late in the night, Raoul waited in his private study as Christine and Kikyo silently slept. He began fidgeting with his fingers until the door opened and Bankotsu came in.

He quickly reverenced and said, "A thousand pardons, Monsieur. The city is so big and confusing; I was not able to follow your directions."

"It is understandable. To be honest, I have also lost my way in Paris when I first came to my mansion. Now that you mention, are you new to the city," Raoul spoke with a soft tone.

Bankotsu replied as he took a seat perpendicular from Raoul, "Why, yes. I have just moved in from _La Rochelle_ to spread my father's business in Paris. My family is into the arts as well and I had been entrusted to sponsor the _Opera Populaire_."

Raoul's voice turned serious when he asked, "By any chance, are you engaged or married?"

Bankotsu chuckled and replied, "At this moment, no, I am not. Why do you ask?"

Raoul replied with his serious tone, "I know we have just become acquainted, but I trust that you are a good man. The reason why I asked is that I am searching for a fiancé for my daughter, seeing she is at a suitable age to marry. Seeing we have similar interests and, pardon me for saying this, equal economic status, I am offering my daughter's hand to you."

The young Count chuckled once again and replied, "I am humble to accept, yet I feel I show become acquainted with your daughter before I can accept. What is her name?"

"Kikyo Augustina. If you are able, you can see her in the performance tomorrow night, or if you may see her before the performance," Raoul happily answered.

"I am afraid I will be unable to come ahead of time but I will see her perform. But on the matters of financing the opera house, how would you like to contribute," Bankotsu replied.

Raoul answered as they both stood up, "Perhaps we may discuss this after tomorrow's performance."

Bankotsu shook Raoul's hand and left the private study.

The following day, the carriage arrived in front of the Opera house and Kikyo prepared to run out of her parents' sight. Just when she opened the door, Raoul caught a tight grip of his daughter and began, "A moment of your time Kikyo."

She replied in a nervous tone, "Can it wait until after the performance?"

Christine answered in a gentle tone, "No it cannot...Your father and I have thought that you are at an appropriate age to marry… We are arranging your marriage with your suitor."

Kikyo's attention went from her mother to her father. She asked in a half-shocked tone, "Why must you tell me this now? Why at this moment?"

"Your suitor will be watching your performance tonight and we ask that you meet him afterwards," Raoul replied as he loosened his grip.

Kikyo felt her eyes swell up with tears when she asked, "Why must I marry, now when I am living the golden years of my life? Is that why, mother, you asked me if I had fallen in love!? Have you grown ashamed to see me sing my heart out!?"

Christine tried to soothe her daughter as she took her hands in hers, "No, you misunderstand. We are only doing what is for your own good."

Kikyo said in a stern tone, "Hear me mother and father, I will not marry by force. Until my engagement it annulled, I shall not return home and I will remain in the Opera house."

Kikyo ran through the crowd circling Kagura as the star of the performance and ran to the dormitory halls. Christine mounted off the carriage and presumed to follow; she paused and thought it was hopeless to go in search of her. Raoul spoke as he headed towards Christine, "She needs time to understand. Perhaps the Count will clear her thoughts tonight." Christine turned to Raoul and embraced him, shedding a few tears for the curse the _Phantom_ placed on them.

Kikyo barged into her sanctuary, kneeling by her bed and setting her tears free. The thought of the arranged marriage brought distraught to her. It made her feel as though her freedom was slowly being taken away from her. Watching from the stained glass wall was Sesshomaru who appeared from the sobbing of her reckless tears.

He silently entered the room and placed his hand on top of her head. She felt his cold hand and turned to meet his eyes through his mask. He asked, "I see it was not your intentions to arrive late. What has brought you to tears?"

She turned away from him and faced the ground, replying, "It is my mother and father. They plan to have me marry by force," her tears crept up again, "It seems as though they are not my mother and father I love so dearly."

Kikyo began crying again as Sesshomaru thought. He then sung, "_Hush weary flower. Let your anger and sadness out through your voice._"

She turned to him and saw him offering his hand. She placed her hand onto his gloved hand and sung as she stood up, "_Dear Master, if I should be sent away, we will be parted forever. What could bring me relief if this is to be out last meeting_?"

He replied, "_Nothing will tear us apart, so long as I have the key to enter into your dreams_."

Kikyo radiated a smile and embraced Sesshomaru as their hands remained in a tight grip. By her embrace, he was able to see how her life truly depended on him…She proved how easy her life would run short if she was not under his gaze.

His father's wrath ran through his thoughts as her warmth seeped through his glove. Subconsciously, he was not aware that a clash was created deep inside his soul.

-()-

I'm not sure if I was clear on the "Phantom's" revenge, but I hope it was picked up from the second-to-the-last paragraph. Also, I don't want to give too much away, but I will say this to any worrying KikyoxSesshomaru fans…I am not a "Raoul" fan. I would have much rather preferred "Christine" running off with the "Phantom" (d!.!b) (no offense to "Raoul" fans). Moving on, reviewers, thank you very much! I'm sorry for the long update and I hope my brain will think faster on the next chapter. -.- Thanks for reading!


	5. Ch 4: Midnight Divinity

Okay, I finally got this chapter done and it took longer than I expected (had a mega dose of writer's block -.-). Sorry for the long wait! Well, please R and R. No flames please! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Phantom of the Opera" characters! They belong to Gaston Leroux. The lyrics that appear in this chapter belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber (the lyrics that I currently used were from the movie musical, but they still belong to him).

And now chapter 4…

-()-

Chapter 4: Midnight Divinity

About a week later, Kikyo had kept her vow to remain in the Opera house until her mother and father had annulled her engagement. She remained alone in the dim room for she would not let one in. The sight of Tsubaki or her mangers would only remind her of her mother and father. She had even rejected her own "Angel" and it had never come across to her that she would lose him if she continues to shun him away.

On a late autumn evening, Sesshomaru entered the room silently for he saw that Kikyo had fallen asleep. A bit furious of her rejection, he whispered to her in a harsh tone, "Kikyo...wake up..."

Her eyes fluttered open and she turned to the dark figure. He remained still, glaring down into the gentle hazel eyes that stared back at him. He then spoke with the same tone, "I believe you have rested long enough. You have not been to rehearsals for about five days and you look as though you have consumed far too much intoxicating drinks."

Kikyo sat up, taking in the cruel comment as she ran her fingers through her tangled locks. She had to admit, he was right; it has been long since she has last saw her own reflection or properly spruced up herself. Yet if she had, she would have seen the loss of color within her skin and the spark within her eyes. Her pale aqua dress had also faded due to the conditions of her sanctuary she resided in. She continued running her fingers through her hair as she said, "I have thought that you would have understood my current state. Since the day my father said I was to be married, I felt as though my entire world had stopped and there is nothing left for me to do."

"Of course I understand! Your life may have stopped but mine still continues...Right now, my purpose for living is to see you become the star of the _Opera Populaire_. If you are foolish enough to set your dreams aside just because you are endangered of being wed, then I am wasting my time dealing with you! Right now, you have the opportunity to make your voice soar, but instead, you are whining and sobbing when you have no one here to tell you what is to become of your life. Make your choice, Kikyo. Either take your freedom to your full advantage or return back home and diminish dreams and thoughts of the perfect voice," Sesshomaru exclaimed when he headed to the stained glass wall and remained by the entrance.

Kikyo turned to him, stopping her fidgeting fingers from continuing to brush her rebellious hair. She turned away from him and said in a serious tone, "Forgive me, Master. You are right...I am wasting your time instead of reciting your lessons. But you must also understand. I still live in fear...," she turns to him and continued with a gentle tone, "What if you have lost your way in reaching me in my dreams if I choose to wed? I grow in fear that I will stop hearing your voice but instead hear the silent wind."

There grew a silence. His eyes turned soft as well as his voice when he reassured, "You worry yourself too much. So long as you and your heavenly grandfather wish for me to continue being your tutor, I will continue to have access to your dreams," his voice turned slightly cold, "But tell me Kikyo, what is your final choice?"

She turned to him once more with her fear finally showing through her eyes. She thought of the freedom he had mentioned, how it was right in her hands without being taken by the over-protectiveness of her mother or father. The thought of such liberty brought her spirits up and brought color into her eyes and cheeks.

There was a knock on the door and Sesshomaru disappeared by the enchanted stained glass wall. Kikyo quickly ran her fingers through her locks and headed towards the door to answer. After making herself more presentable, she opened the door and saw the nervous fearful look on Tsubaki's face.

Kikyo gestured Tsubaki in as she said, "I beg your pardon for the long wait..."

"Don't trouble yourself," Tsubaki interrupted. She then continued with an anxious voice, "My only concern is you Kikyo. You have kept yourself locked up in her for so long...Not to mention...I am thankful that you have finally answered and allowed me in. Whenever you wouldn't answer, I became worried and prayed constantly you would finally step out of this room. Not to mention, your mother constantly wept when I told her you would receive no one."

Kikyo looked at the ground at the mention of her mother. Tsubaki noticed and changed the tone of her voice when she gently asked, "May I ask, why did you keep yourself locked up in this room?"

Kikyo glanced at her and replied, "I have trust in you Tsubaki...Far more than any other person on this Earth...including him..." Tsubaki grew suspicious from her last phrase, but remained silent when Kikyo continued, "My mother and father have made arrangements for me to marry. This is why I refused to return back to my mother and father until they end my betrothal."

Sympathetically, Tsubaki said, "I thought it was something far more severe, although the thought of marrying a man by force and without love, I can understand." She took Kikyo's hand and led her to sit on the edge of the bed. Her eyes remained on the ground as Tsubaki added in a gentle tone, "I bid you to return back home. You cannot leave your mother in constant fear and despair. I am certain they have already broken your chains and given you liberty once more. Although, before you leave, if those are your intentions, I must ask you...Who is this man you spoke of?"

Kikyo turned to Tsubaki, her eyes widened over her spilled secret. She replied in a hesitating voice, "I cannot tell you."

"You said I have your trust. I promise you I will not reveal this to anyone," Tsubaki insisted.

Kikyo remained silent and then said in a soft voice, "Fine, if you must know, the man whom I spoke of is...He is my Angel of Music."

"An Angel of Music? Are you certain it is nothing more than a dream," Tsubaki doubtfully questioned.

"No, I am certain he is not a mere illusion. More than once, he has visited me in my dreams and tutored my voice. If not for him, my voice would have remained in the lower status that it was when I first came to the Opera house," Kikyo aguishly voiced.

Tsubaki did not speak, but remained deep in thought over the revelation of the Angel. She looked at Kikyo, who kept her eyes firmly at the ground. She finally asked, "If he is truly your 'angel,' who sent him? Did you pray for him to come?"

"He said my grandfather pleaded him to become my tutor...Perhaps he had also sent him to my mother when she first came to the _Opera Populaire_," Kikyo silently answered.

"From the silence in your voice, I can tell your discontent with him, am I correct," Tsubaki sternly asked.

"You astound me, Tsubaki. For days, he has entered into my dreams, as silent as night. He coaches my voice and then he leaves for the heavenly gates. Although, he has been my tutor for more than a year, I still cannot find trust within his eyes...It seems as though he tries to avoid me as best as he could," she softly replied.

The friend reassured, "He is an angel after all, Kikyo. And as a messenger of God, he cannot reveal the fate you are linked with."

Kikyo turned to the stained glass wall and silently asked herself, "_If he is a messenger to the almighty being, then why must he exit through the glassy wall? Is that the gateway to heaven?_"

Her attention left the stained glass wall and went to Tsubaki who headed to the door. She said as she turned the knob and faced her, "Are you coming to this rehearsal? It has been so long since you sung and I am sure Monsieur Reyer could find at least a minor role for you to play."

"I should. If I do not fulfill my obligations, perhaps in due time, Monsieur Firmin or Monsieur Andre would have dismissed me," Kikyo replied as she stood up and headed to the Tsubaki. She paused and then looked at her lifeless locks, tangled and rough since the day she chose not to return home. She looked at her dress once more that was pale in comparison next to Tsubaki's vivid magenta dress. Perhaps a soothing bath and a trip to a dress tailor might prove a sufficient answer to her 'Angel's' question.

She walked to her nightstand and took out a simple small rosewood chest, dusty from the years it had spent hidden inside the nightstand. Taking out the money she earned during her days in the _Opera Populaire_, she placed it in her small sac. Long before, the money was untouched and was only used as "play money." Yet, now it will prove part of its purpose and should be sufficient to buy at least a month's number of dresses during her stay.

She walked back to the door and said, "How long do you think rehearsals will be? I have a few things to attend to, but above all, I would like to prime myself."

Tsubaki grinned and replied with a small sigh, "I suggest you tend to those matters now. Seeing it is the morning before the performance, there is bound to be drama by 'Les Prima Donnas'. Come, I shall show you to the lavatory."

Both women exited and walked out of the hall and into the main hallways, but soon Tsubaki stopped and said, "Sorry Kikyo. I have something I need to tend to first...The room is the one with white doors. I will meet you on-stage."

Kikyo merely nodded and walked to the end of the main halls as Tsubaki turned back. She walked down back the hall and turned to a room near Ayame's old dressing room. She knocked and entered from the silent reply.

It was her mother's room, the room she had taken after the passing of the late Madame Giry. By a stroke of luck, it had been one of the few rooms that had survived "The Catastrophe of the _Opera Populaire_." The room was filled with photographic memories of Meg as a young child and her mother aiding her in her ballet. There were a few photos of Meg and Christine from their early Opera house day while some portrayed a young Madame Giry.

Tsubaki searched for her mother through the largess amount of pictures on the walls. She spotted her mother tying her hair up in bun and fixing the simple black dress she had on. Tsubaki approached her mother as she pinned her hair, speaking rather softly, "It is not my purpose for coming, but I must say that although it still pains you, you must put this tragedy behind you."

"My dear daughter...how do you expected me to feel," Meg quietly replied as she took a seat on her bed and turned to her daughter. She added with a solemn tone, "I lost my mother, doing a kind deed out of her heart. But when I met your father, he took that grief away. Yet, as tragedy swept by, I lost him as well, days after you were born from the plague he was bound from his travels. If not for you, where will I be? You bring me the utmost happiness a mother could want, but you are also my fear. A fear I thought I would never speak of to from...It is the curse I live with in this building."

Tsubaki took a seat on a chair next to her mother's bed, answering with a tone matching that of her mother, "I now understand why you wished we should move after I turned three, but my childish ways would not let you. Now, grown as I may be, I plead that you leave and live the remainder of your life as you wish. You have done far more that another mother could do for me and I assure you I will be fine if you chose to leave and live in a distant land."

Meg slightly smiled to Tsubaki, stating with a more mellow tone, "I have not yet proven myself as a mother to you. Although it may not appear to you, but I have put my grief first than you..." She paused and looked at her reflection in the large rectangular mirror. She then continued, "My mood was far more cheerful than it is now...You have never seen me in a lively color but only in the hue of mourning...I believe it is time to change, for your sake."

With that said, she stood up and unpinned her hair as she gazed herself at her mirror. Tsubaki could now see the true hue of golden sunshine within her mother' long locks that gently swayed as she brushed her hair. Once done, Meg gazed at her attire and remained silent. Although at long last color finally came within her hair and cheeks, color could not come back into her dress. She looked at the ground and then back at her reflection. She then walked to the door, saying to Tsubaki, "For the time being, this will do."

They exited and headed to the main-stage.

Around noon that day, Kikyo had finished placing her wardrobe in the rustic armoire that was across from her bed. Gazing herself in her new, rather simple white dress embroidered with simple flora designs on the sleeves, chest and trimming of the gown, she brushed her damped hair and tied partial of her hair back. She then heard a knock on the door and allowed the person in, closing her armoire.

Tsubaki entered, saying as she approached Kikyo with a radiant smile, "I am glad to life in you once again, and in my mother as well."

Kikyo eyed Tsubaki with a suspicious humor for never before had she seen Tsubaki in such happiness. She then asked, "In your mother, you say?"

"Oh, yes! You will see for yourself when you got to the rehearsal. I have asked M. Reyer, in your favor, for at least a minor part in tonight's production." She continued, handing a script to her, " 'The Governess' has fallen ill and will not be able to attend, but seeing that the part only had ten lines and it was a last minute's notice, M. Reyer felt you could handle this moment's stress."

"Thank you Tsubaki. You should have not troubled yourself," Kikyo tanked as she flipped through the script. She then said, "How as rehearsals going?"

"Not too well. From what Kagome had told me, Kagura has been raging on about her lines, her dress and the stage lighting. And if that is not the worst, Carlotta has added on to the complaints," Tsubaki replied with a sophisticated humor.

Kikyo slightly giggled, saying, "At that rate, _Hannibal _might be canceled. Well then, I will begin reciting these lines and head to the stage afterwards."

Tsubaki nodded, still holding on to the cheerful grin. Kikyo sat on her bed flipping through the pages as she searched for the bits of her part. Once located and bookmarked with her fingers, she began to sing. With just one line already sung, she paused and felt a wind breezing underneath her bare neck. She then felt the presence behind and turned. She saw Sesshomaru, gazing down at her with soft eyes, such mellows eyes she was not yet aware of that were long hidden behind his mask.

She stood up and said as she placed her script down, "How long have you been standing behind me? If your wait was long, I ask for your forgiveness Master."

"Do not worry. I appeared the moment when you first sung in such a melodious voice. It was rich in such emotion, I could not resist but come and hear you sing," he replied in a soft tone.

"You praise me too much Master," she said as her cheeks blushed in a gentle crimson color.

"It is true and no lie was tied with my comment. I see you have taken your liberty well. Your eyes are absolutely radiant and your skin glows far more than the light the largest brightest star could ever produce. It seems that your beauty is so rare, no flower in the world could be compared to the countenance I see, nor would a goddess be compared to the life and soul you have," he remarked once more.

She turned away, placing her hands by her blushing cheeks as she took in full his tender comment. There was no ice linked within his words, but only the warmth of the perfect spring day. She turned to him and saw nothing more but a lovingly gaze.

There was a silence until she softly said, "I must thank you for enlightening me of the freedom I have, as of now. You have made me realize that in this lifetime, I have the liberty of choosing which path to take and which fate to follow, even when society may not approve of it."

She returned the gaze to him, although she was a bit doubtful of what he had meant to say. Sesshomaru continued to be drifted by the warmth inside him; he had noticed his reflection within her eyes. His acute sight made him feel pathetic as to be succumbed to such admiration. He placed his hand over his heart as hate and anger began burning in his eyes once more.

He reacted when he heard Kikyo ask, "Does something bother you Master?"

He looked at her slightly worried state and replied with sharp daggers in his tone, "Nothing. Commence with your lines once again."

He entered through the stained glass wall and left her deep in thought. She longs to know what lies beyond the wall, whether it was good or bad. Yet, she never tempted herself to place her hand through the wall.

Heading down to his lair, Sesshomaru still remained in disgust over the fact he had confessed to Kikyo his surrender to his heart.

A few hours later, Kikyo headed to the main-stage, rehearsing the lines herself as she passed the large halls and entered through the large red curtains. She arrived just in time to see the pleading of Monsieur Andre and Firmin and the raging rants of Kagura and Carlotta.

Monsieur Andre said with a broken grin as his voice trembled, "Mademoiselle, I am sure your attendants will fix your lovely gown just in time for tonight's performance."

"I beg your pardon Monsieur, but I am sure they will not be able to fix the rip Muso made on my dress," Kagura countered, swaying the train of her white gown to exaggerate the dilemma. She then added with more fury, "If my gown cannot be fixed by this hour, then there will be no other choice but to cancel this performance."

Muso approached the small group and argued in favor of the managers, "Are you insane!? We have all worked hard for this production and I beg you both that you do not cancel this performance just because her gown has not been mended."

"If you had not stepped on her train, then we would have not been in this situation," Carlotta countered as her finger laid pointing at the gash.

Kagome stepped in, saying in calmer tone, "I am certain if we all remain at ease, we can solve this problem. Kagura, why not simply remove the train and perform with just the humble dress?"

"I would think not! My character calls for a complex beautiful gown and I will not go on-stage without it," Kagura exclaimed, gently caressing the train as mild-fake tears began rolling out of her eyes.

Carlotta embraced the weeping girl and said in a bellowing voice, "If this Opera house cannot satisfy my precious little girl's needs, then she will not perform tonight or any other day!"

The motherly Prima Donna led away Kagura as she still held her in their embrace and consoling her. Monsieur Reyer pulled out his handkerchief from his sleeve and began wiping off the cold sweat from his face. He grew more in panic when he heard Miroku whisper to Sango, nearby, "And let us hope they quit the _Opera Populaire_. They have delayed us for too long."

Monsieur Reyer then shouted to him, "Please garçon! Speak no ill of them or they will surly never come back!"

Monsieur Andre caught a tight grip of his hair and began to pull as he said to Monsieur Firmin, "It is the curse of this production. Twice we have been put into this situation, yet it was once we have found another person at this last minute's notice! What will we do Monsieur!?"

"We have no other choice...We must refund the entire house and cancel tonight's production," Monsieur Firmin added as he placed his hand over his eyes and concealed his face on one of the sceneries.

Kikyo placed her script on the floor and took a seat in one of the front rows. She sighed over the fact she could not perform for the few days and over the fact Sesshomaru's comment was meaningless. Tsubaki spotted the depressed soprano in the numerous seats and headed to the altar.

Her face was sympathetic and her fingers were fidgeting when she spoke with a half smile, "I guess you now know...Monsieur Firmin has decided to cancel tonight's performance."

"I wish he did not. There must be something we can to do to have Kagura come back," Kikyo gently said as she picked up her script and flipped through the pages.

Meg's attention left the ranting managers and when to Tsubaki and Kikyo. She thought as she saw them together, a coincidence that they fit her and Christine well when they were in the same predicament. Within that instant, she had the answer and said to the managers, "Monsieur Firmin, just like her mother, there is someone who can take the leading role."

Monsieur Andre released his rough hair and asked, "And who may that be?"

"Mademoiselle de Chagny. I believe, just like her mother, she is capable of learning her lines in a short time's notice," Meg commented.

"Of course! Our problems are solved and the performance will commence once more," Monsieur Firmin bellowed with content.

Kikyo stood up and walked to the stage, with Tsubaki following after her, saying in a soft tone as she approached the managers, "Pardon Monsieur but I will not be able to take the role this time. I had only accepted it before since it was minor and I had a few lines. I am sorry, but I cannot accept."

Meg approached Kikyo, saying with a smile, "You are too modest. If you are daughter of the Christine that I knew, then you will have no trouble in memorizing the lines just as easily as she did. If you choose, Tsubaki and I will help you."

"Please Mademoiselle! Please accept. We can delay the performance an hour or so, so long as you accept," Monsieur Andre pleaded.

Kikyo looked at the pleading managers and then to the faces of the relying actors. Her attention then went to Meg and her mind drifted when she noticed a more cheerful expression in her eyes. There was a heavy flow of kindness that only reminded her of her mother...

Kikyo silently sighed and replied, "For all your sakes, I accept."

Uproar of applauses filled the large stage as the aspiring soprano flipped through the script and searched for her lines. Yet, all did not appear merry as it should have, for she will feel empty when she performs that night...knowing her mother would not be there to applaud or congratulate her...

Meanwhile, at Raoul's private study, Christine silently wept as Raoul and Bankotsu conversed. Raoul gently said, "Perhaps that was not the best moment to tell her of her betrothal...How I regret bring such news to her, minutes before her performance that day."

"You should not blame yourself...I did not fill my part but rather tended to my matters first before her," Bankotsu stated as he watched the distressed father. There was a silence until he said in a low tone, "I see now that the arrangements we have made earlier are void...I will take my leave."

Christine wiped her tears and pleaded to the Count as he stood up, "There is no need. Perhaps if we explain things in a clearer tone to her, she may come back...or rather, if you spoke with her she would understand you more than she ever can with us."

"But if we head to the Opera house and things are as they were these past days, we cannot accomplish anything...Perhaps now, dear Christine, we may have to turn our hands soft to rough...We have asked her nicely to return and she would not...But if our tone changes, then she will come back," Raoul stated as he went deep in thought.

"May I ask that you carry out these plans if my talk with her accomplished nothing? I would hate to see such kind parents, as yourselves, turn to violent tyrants," Bankotsu commented as he headed towards the doors.

Raoul stood up and said, "Then you are coming to tonight's performance? I will grant you that request, so long as you do your part this time."

"I give you my word. I was but a fool once to pass out the opportunity to witness love at its grand," Bankotsu stated in a low voice.

As the hours grew shorter and the minutes grew quicker, Raoul and Christine entered through the grand doors and saw the minor uproar within a small group of spectators surrounding the managers. Raoul approached crowd but was stopped when he heard Meg call for him and Christine.

"Christine and Raoul! I am glad to see that you made it to tonight's production," Meg exclaimed as she took deep breaths from running from the stairs. Her new radiant shine floated in her face that was quickly noticed by the patrons.

Raoul then asked, "May I ask what this commotion is about?"

"It is nothing to be concerned about but rather to be pleased about, in both your terms. They are only complaining over the fact Carlotta's daughter would not play the lead tonight but rather your sunshine," Meg commented with a minor content voice so that she may not be heard by the raging spectators.

Christine's face turned soft and gleamed with joy after hearing her daughter has begun to sing once more. She then asked, "But then why are there so many upstarts? Do they feel she cannot handle such a demanding role?"

"In their opinion, yes but if they were witness to the spectacular performance she made during rehearsals, they would have thought twice before coming to the Opera house and demanding a refund. I take it you both wish to meet her as of now," Meg remarked.

"Not now but we will wish to speak with her after the performance. Do you know if the other patron will be seated," Raoul asked with a silent tone.

Meg paused and then answered, "I believe he is seated next to your box...I believe it is Box Five, but if you wish, I could check with Monsieur Andre and Firmin."

Raoul replied, "It is fine, do not trouble yourself."

Meg's voice was ecstatic once again when she stated, "Very well. I need to check on Tsubaki and Kikyo to see if they need any help with their costumes."

Meg climbed up the stairs again and headed to the dormitory halls, leaving Raoul and Christine with an utmost blissful but doubtful silence. Christine said with a sly grin on her face, "I take it you still have doubts over the Count." She waited for him to reply, but he remained silent. She then added as her face grew modest again, "If you have no trust over the Count, why not annul the arrangements. I cannot blame for your mistrust, for when we first met, it was a coincidence we happen to stumble upon him since our late conversation."

Raoul's stern expression turned soft and took Christine's hands when she said, "I cannot trust that he will come or he truly wishes the opportunity to reach the climax of his life. Yet, I see that when they meet, she will see him as her prince, not knowing he was her savior from the _Phantom's_ clutches."

Meanwhile, Kikyo gazes at her image in the vacant dressing room that had once belonged to Ayame as Tsubaki continued to pin a train from an old dress they found in the quarters of the runaway actress. The train was embroidered with pearls and floral patterns that matched the designs of the new dress Kikyo had displayed that afternoon. With the final pin in place, the dress seemed that it had given more layers and appeared to be far more ethereal than the gown the original soprano would have wore.

The door creaked open and Meg stepped in, saying with an uplifting grin, "I hope the both of you are ready. The performance will start shortly."

"I certainly hope things will go well and as pitiful as this may sound, I certainly do hope this train shall not be unpinned," Kikyo remarked with a soft sense of humor as she fixed the small bouquet of ornamental white roses and lilies that held part of her hair.

"Remain at ease, luckily I am not a seamstress for my sake but I guarantee that my pinning is sturdy and can withstand the clumsy steps of our fellow actors," Tsubaki let out with a giggle as she wiped the minor dust from her navy gown from kneeling so much.

Meg let out a sophisticated laugh, afterwards saying, "Well let us be off. We cannot to be late on your comeback."

As they headed their way to by the backstage, Christine and Raoul took their seats in their box. The looked to the right of their box and noticed that the Count had not arrived. They merely remained silent as there was still a commotion within the picky spectators scattered around the seats.

When the stage curtains flew up and they heard the ballads sung by the leading Kikyo and Muso, the spectators could not help but admit to themselves that they were wrong about the "amateur" soprano. Surly, they have heard her sing her heart out in the minor roles she had previously played, but they have never heard her sing with such passion and love go in sync with her impressing voice. As the Acts went by, the audience had begun to grow a certain love for the young soprano; yet, it was a love that could not match that of her proud mother and father.

The end of Act three was in a moments reach; by that time, Bankotsu had arrived to his box. The guard of the box whispered to the Count, "I am glad to see you were able to come tonight, Monsieur. Heaven forbid you should miss the remainder of this performance."

"Why is that so," Bankotsu asked as he took off his black overcoat.

"There was a minor brawl within the audience over the fact the young lady in white was not fit for the leading role. But how she proved them wrong! It seems that she has indeed inherited her mother's genius," the guard whispered back as he placed the coat on a rack.

"And who is this soprano and her famous mother," Bankotsu asked once again.

The guard headed towards the doors and replied, "Why she is the heiress of the de Chagny family, Kikyo, I believe her name is."

The guard exited as the lights slightly dimmed on stage. When the lights brightened again, he searched for "the lady in white." There was no one currently on stage until Tsubaki entered with Kikyo following after her. His heart started pounding when he first gazed at the soprano.

On stage, Tsubaki, as the last minute governess, recited, "I am not certain if time has played its foul tricks and made him forget about your face. I ask that you may forget about this man and move on. If time is as cruel as it may be, it will not pity the maiden who chose to wait for a lost cause."

"Say what you like but I am certain he has not forgotten the moments we have spent in out times at the marina or at the wide green fields. I will remain in place until he comes back," Kikyo replied in her recital.

The lights slightly dimmed as Kikyo placed her hands to her heart with a soft expression on her face. She then began her aria, "_Think of me/ Think of me fondly/ When we've said goodbye/ Remember me once in a while/ Please promise me you'll try/ When you find/ That once again you long/ To take you heart back/ And be free/ I ever find a moment/ Spare a thought for me_," she paused for a moment and then sung with a lighter expression, "_We never said our love was evergreen/ Or as unchanging as the sea/ But if you can still remember/ Stop and think of me/ Think of all the things/ We've shared and seen/ Don't think about the way/ Things might have been/ Think of me/ Think of me waking/ Silent and resigned/ Imagine me, trying too hard/ To put you from my mind/ Recall those days/ Look back on all those time/ Think of the things we'll never do/ There will never be a day/ When I won't think of you_."

As the orchestra played in the interim, Bankotsu longingly gazed at Kikyo. He thought as he gazed at the soprano smiling as acceptance for the applause, "_The light seems to dance around her, reflecting so beautifully from her dark locks of universal night and from her skin of radiant moonshine. Is this the woman fate has ordered me to meet? No, this is not an earthly maiden...She is the true midnight divinity...I cannot lose her..._"

Kikyo began her recital again, "_Flowers fade/ The fruit of summer fade/ They have their season/ So do we/ But please promise me/ That sometimes/ You will think_...," she paused for a moment and vocalized in a soft subtle powerful voice and then ended, "_Of me_..."

The audience stood and applauded as the soprano bowed. Small bouquets of flowers while some threw rose buds in which a few lost their petals and drifted down her dress. Christine and Raoul remained on foot as they applauded the triumphant comeback of their daughter. The uproar continued even as the curtains fell temporarily taking the soprano out of their sights. Once the curtains met in the middle of stage, Bankotsu ended his applause and rushed to the doors of the backstage. Yet, unknown to him, Christine and Raoul departed far earlier than he did...

Backstage, Monsieur Andre and Firmin congratulated the actors they came upon. They headed their way to Kikyo who came from the right of stage; however, Christine came to her with swift wings followed by Raoul.

Without hesitating, Christine embraced her daughter, whispering to her, "You did very well my dear Kikyo. I am glad you have decided to come out of you dwelling."

Kikyo did not return the embrace, as much as she wanted to, but rather softly glared at her mother, replying back, "I take it you have ended my peripheral engagement."

Raoul replied with a soft expression in his face matching his tone, "We...We have not. But you must understand that it is what society wishes from a girl like you. As much as we wish, we cannot go against it."

"Then I shall remain in the Opera house. With my affluent wage, I do believe I can sustain myself on my own. I must leave," she spoke with an unknown coldness in her voice. Never before had they heard her speak with such a bitter frost in her tone. She made her exit, unable of being stopped by her mother's gentle grip and ignoring Monsieur Andre's greeting as she passed through the crowd.

Just as she left, Bankotsu had made through the crowd of spectators, not knowing that he had passed Kikyo. At first glance, he spotted Raoul and made his way to the patrons, saying, "Monsieur de Chagny, have you met with the mademoiselle yet?"

"We have, but she just left...It appears that you passed her, just as the production once again," Raoul answered as his tone grew colder.

Bankotsu merely countered, "I admit I missed most of the production, but I came in time to hear her aria. Have you spoken with her?"

Christine replied with a quiet tone, "We have and we tried to convince her of her engagement, but she would not listen...Perhaps if you speak with her, she might understand better."

"Of course, but where might I meet her," Bankotsu asked as he got ready to rush out the doors and finally meet the soprano.

"If she is as stubborn as she has turned out to be, her room is in the left of the grand stairs case...Walk far down the hall where light fails to shine and her room should be the eighth door on the right," Raoul dully replied.

The Count nodded and dashed out the room. He made his way to the grand stair case and followed the directions provided to him. He thought of how dreary Raoul's tone had been when he spoke and wondered why a heavenly maiden chose to reside in a corridor of hell.

Upon arriving, Tsubaki led Kikyo through the large crowd of spectators as Meg tried to calm the crowd with their large bouquets of garden flowers, in hopes of speaking with the soprano. Once entering the room, Kikyo immediately spotted a fully bloomed black rose tied with a strip of black ribbon on its olive stem on her nightstand. Tsubaki noticed the rose as well and walked to it.

She said as she took the rose in her hands, "I must congratulate you Kikyo. I believe that not a single soul could ever match the voice you have," her attention went to the rose and continued, "I pity this masterpiece of nature. I pity the fact it could not live to see your return, but I do believe it had its natural death after hearing your voice roam this halls. I will dispose this for you-"

"-Please do not! Dead as it may be, it will be my lively memory of this performance," Kikyo interrupted, taking the rose that was given back to her.

"Very well. I will then see in tonight's feast," Tsubaki remarked with a grin on her face.

After the door closed, Kikyo gazed at the rose clutching it to her heart, knowing she had pleased her master. She sat on her bed, caressing the large petals as the continued its racket outside her doors.

Outside the doors, Bankotsu slid through the crowd and was stopped by M. Andre, who helped calm the spectators with Meg and M. Firmin. The manager greeted, "I am please you made it to tonight's performance Monsieur de Automne."

Bankotsu greeted back, "I was please to be part of this marvelous performance. Is the leading soprano in her chambers?"

"She is, but I pray for the fool who dares to enter...She seems to be quite upset over some matters," M. Andre replied with fearful humor.

Bankotsu replied with slight humor, "The let me be the first fool."

He approached the door, taking out a white rose he had in his suit pocket and entered the room. He silently closed the door, gazing at the soprano whose attention was mostly on the black rose in her hands. He then spoke, slighting startling the soprano, "Mademoiselle, never in my life had I heard a maiden sing with the voice you have. Some have compared you to a past soprano who was said to have a voice the angels themselves could not match. But now, I do believe your voice has set it out of its prime."

Kikyo chuckled as her attention went to the Count, "Monsieur, I thank you, but in my opinion, the soprano before me still holds on to her prime, even if she temporarily chose to keep her song mute. May I ask who you are?"

"I am the Count Bankotsu de Automne. I have recently become a patron of the _Opera Populaire_ and have just attended my first production. If you wish for me to go in depth, I am also your shunned fiancé," he smoothly replied.

Her expression was slightly shock but said, "Then I see you came by orders of my father. If you intend to persuade me to drift with the wind of society, then I bid you to leave-"

"-I came on my own accord, but I must admit your mother did bid me to speak with you over this engagement...I am fully aware you do not wish to marry by force or rather without love, but I ask that we may become acquainted," he interrupted. He approached her, taking her hand that left the black rose, placing his white rose in its stead. He continued in a tender tone, "Compare me to the star-crossed lover all you like, but know that I have witnessed love at first sight when my eyes rested on you. Will you give me this opportunity and dine with me tonight?"

Kikyo looked at the white rose handed to her by Bankotsu. It was in its full bloom, capturing the pure white hue of the sea's luminous pearl. She gazed at the Count with pleading eyes, admitting to herself he was rather dashing in his dark umber suit. She then replied with a gentle voice, "Very well. I am willing to give my mother and father's proposition a chance."

"Then I shall meet you by the stairs," he replied. He gazed at her for a moment, slightly hesitating but kissed her cheek. He left the room leaving Kikyo to daydream as she looked at her white rose, yet, unknowingly, being watched by Sesshomaru who remained hidden in the shadows.

For a moment, she remained sitting on her bed; soon after, she got up and began unpinning the heavy train. She had noticed the crowd had left as she approached the door. Just as she opened the door, it was then shut by a cold draft that also blew the gas lamp out. She then heard footsteps and turned to see her Master glare down at her with raging eyes.

Kikyo began, "Have I disappointed you once again, Master? Your glare speaks more than what you can say."

"Primarily, I wished to congratulate you on your performance. I had not intentions of being angered by your sway to the Count. If you choose to dine with him, then end your lessons with me now for I see you will shun me later on," Sesshomaru bellowed as he approached her, slightly hinting his jealousy.

Kikyo countered with a more subtle tone, "I have no means of sending you back to the heavenly gates. I merely wished to have a minor distraction from the Opera house."

His tone soften and turned as he slowly began making his way back to the stained glass wall, "I understand. My lessons are tedious and you well deserve a moment of relief. I will see you when you return."

He walked to the stained glass wall with his hand over his heart, hearing her say, "Please do not leave Master. Your lessons are not tedious and the reason being is that your mysterious state keeps me wondering. At times, I question myself as to what might be your real name or, dare I say it, I wonder what is beyond the stained glass wall."

"Do you truly wish to know? Will you care to follow this Phantom down to his lair," he asked with the same gentle tone.

He stepped through the stained glass wall and appeared in front of the wall on the other side. His hand stretched out, offering his hand to her. She remained still, but approached the stained glass wall soon after.

"Will you take my hand and know what fate you are to follow," Sesshomaru asked as Kikyo continued her slow steps. She paused once again as her answers were in hands' reach. She hesitated but placed her palm on his gloved hand. He took a gentle grip of her hand and led her through the stained glass wall. His jealousy was subdued but his stubborn love continued to be fueled.

-()-

Finally, a little dose of romance I should say. :) Once again, I am sorry for the long wait "Black Roses" readers! Reviewers, thank you very much! (Oh yeah, if your patience runs short from my brain blockage, I decided to put small chapter previews/ summaries on my profile on my in-progress stories ;) ) Thanks for reading!!!


	6. Ch 5: Lily of the Valley

Okay, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter concerning the songs I would use. I won't give anything away for now though! ;) Please R and R. No flames please. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Phantom of the Opera" characters! They belong to Gaston Leroux. The lyrics that might appear in this story belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Disclaimer: The first set of lyrics, "Love Like Winter," belongs to Afi that appear in /…/. The second set of lyrics, "Disenchanted," belong to My Chemical Romance that appear in /.../. They don't belong to me!

And now chapter 5…

-()-

Chapter 5: Lily of the Valley

It was finally clear as to why the Angel of Music could step through the stained glass wall without shattering it or falling through a trap door. It was an illusion created in place of a bricked wall that would have separated Kikyo and Sesshomaru even farther then they now began to grow closer. He felt his gentle grip tighten as she was pulled through the illusionary wall. She felt the radiating lights trace her figure as she passed through; it felt as though the barrier has finally been broken down.

She walked a few steps and heard a snap. An ensemble of chandeliers were lit above their heads and as she was being led, she felt a cold draft coming from beneath their feet and a dying whisper pleading her to sing. She heard unearthly moans and groans that made her skin have Goosebumps as they walked through the hall of suspended chandeliers. She slightly gasped when she heard her Master say in a soft tone, "Do you hear them? They are the angels and fiends that plead for you to sing. Will you fulfill the answer to their prayers as we pass through the purgatory path?"

She remained silent as they continued to walk down the endless narrow hall. The cold draft filled her spirits with an eerie mood and then she led her wonder unleashed in a gentle tone that filled the cold labyrinth, "_Warn your warmth to turn away/Here it's December, everyday/ Press your lips to the sculptures/And surely you'll stay (love like winter)/For of sugar and ice... I am made, I am made_"

He slightly turned to her and smirked for the song she sung was filled with far more obedience and affection than the melody his father played on his violin in hell. He sung the first two lines with her and then let her continue, "_It's in the blood, it's in the blood/I met my love before I was born/He wanted love. I taste of blood/He bit my lip, and drank my war/From years before, from years before._"

They approached a case of spiral steps that were shrouded in darkness. He snapped his fingers once more and a small flame was lit, hovering above his hand. He took her hand, glaring at her with certain softness as he carefully led her down the steps. He then added to the song as they climbed down the brittle steps, "_She exhales vanilla lace/I barely dreamt her yesterday (yesterday…)/Read the lines in the mirror through the lipstick trace/"Por Siempre."/She said, "It seems you're somewhere, far away"/To his face._"

They approached the lake and stepped into the unstable boat. Kikyo remained standing with Sesshomaru, with her arms wrapped around his waist as he paddled the boat to the final destination. He continued as they paddled the fragile waters, "_It's in the blood, it's in the blood/I met my love, before I was born/She wanted love, I taste of blood/She bit my lip, and drank my war/From years before, from years before_."

They continued to paddle on the shallow waters, noticing a black shroud that hid away the musical lair. He snapped his fingers once more and the shrouds raised up as suspended chandeliers were summoned from a plume of fire and lit, bringing light to the dim room. They snug in chorus, "_Love like winter… Oh… Oh…/Love like winter… winter…_."

Drawing near the bay of the musical lair, she sung, completing their duet, "_It's in the blood, it's in the blood/I met my love, before I was born/He wanted/love, I taste of blood/He bit my lip, and drank my war/From years before, from years before_."

When the boat hit the bay, he stepped out of the boat and helped the soprano out. She gracefully stumbled and landed into his arms. He smiled to himself, as the soprano blushed still grasping onto his arms. A few moments later, he brought back his cold exterior and released her. He slightly walked to the hellish piano, saying in a stern voice, "I have brought you down to my lair and as your eyes wonder, I can see you are quite surprised from the conditions this Angel lives under. What will you do now? Will you turn back and run into the arms of the Count that still foolishly waits for you upstairs?"

"Of course not. As dark and cold this room may be, I am still enchanted to remain here. True, it is not what I expected but it is full of independence. For, as you have said, you are an Angel and work with the Almighty Being, you broke free and now live as you would have wished if you had lived in this chaotic world," Kikyo replied back in a mellow tone.

She looked around the musical lair, showing slight disappointment on her face. She expected to find a lair covered with white curtains and instruments the angels are portrayed playing in paintings and stained glass windows. What she found was, in her interpretation, lair from hell. She looked at the piano and hated the thought of being poked by its sharp edges. She then looked at the broken mirrors and the pile of broken glass confetti. She turned to a candle that was lit by his supernatural force, wondering why it was not shedding a single tear of wax. What caught her attention the most were the sheer white curtains that masked part of the wall from where the broken mirrors were placed.

Sesshomaru turned away from her, approaching the piano and sitting on the stool. He said in a bitter tone, "If I lived a mortal life, around this time, I would have not caused you the damage I have done so now."

She walked to his direction, but suddenly stopped fearing for the answer she would get when she asked, "And what may that be?"

"I have been the shadow of the Fiend down below. The aid to the downfall of man...At times I curse being in the sight of someone so pure such as yourself and I curse ever having thoughts of bring your chastity to the world where the sun refuses to shine and where soul becomes tainted with the corrupt hand of that hellish fiend," he replied with a somewhat bitter gentle tone.

She gazed at the ground and then turned to him. He begun to play a melancholic piece, one that she was not able to recognize. She spoke in a whisper, "If your sorrow hurts you so much when you speak, then sing to me."

He approached her, placing his hands below her shoulders and gazing down into her eyes of pure auburn. He then began to sing in his remorseful tone, "_Well I was there on the day they sold the cause for the queen/And when the lights all went out/We watched our lives on the screen/I hate the ending myself but it started with an alright scene," _he paused and walked back to the piano, making his voice roar when he continued_, "It was the roar of the crowd that gave me heartache to sing/It was a lie when they smiled and said you won't feel a thing/And as we ran from the cops/ We laughed so hard it would sting_."

He turned to her and continued, "_If I'm so wrong/How can you listen all night long/Now will it mater after I'm gone/Because you never learn a goddamned thing_," he approached her, placing his hands on her warm cheeks, continuing with the song, "_You're just a sad song/With nothing to say/About a lifelong wait for a hospital stay/And if think that I'm wrong/This never meant nothing to you_."

He stepped away from her and went to the table from which he conversed with his father, adding, "+_I spent my formative years/ Spit on and shoved to agree/ So I could watch all my dreams/ Pass on before me/+Bring out the old guillotine/We will show them what we all mean./If I'm so wrong/How can you listen all night long/Now will it matter after I'm gone/Because you never learn a goddamned thing_," he turned to her and continued, "_You're just a sad song/With nothing to say/About a lifelong wait for a hospital stay/And if you think I'm wrong/This never meant nothing to you_."

He walked to her and took her hands, leading her to the white curtains, continuing, "_So go/Go away/Just go/Run way/But where did you run to/But where did you hide/Go find another way/Price you pay_."

He led her to where the Phantom once enshrined a mannequin of her mother, adding as they approached the sheer white curtains, "_You're just a sad song/With nothing to say/About a life long wait for a hospital stay/And if you think that I'm wrong/This never meant nothing to you_." They approached the curtains. Sesshomaru held the curtain open and led Kikyo in the tiny shrine. There was nothing there but the slight echo of his voice as he continued, "_You're just a sad song/With nothing to say/About a lifelong wait for a hospital stay and if you think that I'm wrong/This never meant nothing to you/At all_."

He snapped his fingers and the flowers from the stained glass wall appeared, bringing color to the dull frail wall. Their vines crept out from the cracks of the wall and they took that shape of the mirror that began to form. The mirror was trimmed with gold vine edges, casting back the chimera fantasy back at the spectators. She squinted for a moment for the image was blurry, but as the image sharpened she slightly stepped back from the mirror. In the mirror, she saw herself dressed in a pearl white dress white a white veil draped over her face. Behind her, she saw her master, dressed as though he was her prince saving her from the catastrophe he had described she was in. In her hands, she held a large bundle of roses, roses with the color of scarlet matching her blushing cheeks of a happy bride. Seeing herself dressed as the bride of her dashing Angel was enough to cause her to faint into the arms of her Master.

He kneeled down, still clutching onto her limp body. He silently sung to her, "_This never meant nothing to you/At all...At all_..."His eyes were full of plead and mercy. Perhaps, he thought, if she should kneel to her, she will give forgiveness for all the harm his corrupt father intended to bestow on her.

Sesshomaru turned to mirror once more and saw the roses in her hands slowly turn to black. The presence of his soul near her was too tainted for the roses to withstand. He then thought that perhaps it was not the right moment for him to reveal. If now, then when will his love flood her heart with such affection he has never felt for a mortal maiden before?

Above the lair, Bankotsu walked back to gyrating corridors and to Kikyo's dormitory. He knocked her door but heard no reply. He knocked again, asking for her request as he slowly opened the door, "Mademoiselle...Kikyo...Are you there? May I come in?"

The door creaked open and he entered. The Count noticed how dark and cold the room was. He immediately turned the gas lamp on but could not warm the room that matched the cold air of that early winter night. Crossing his arms in attempts to warm himself, though it hardly did a thing, he glanced around the room but she was not there. His attention then went to the stained glass wall. He never noticed its existence when he first came to the room, probably from the fact that his main focus was on Kikyo.

Bankotsu approached the stained glass wall and stretched his hand towards it. He stopped when he heard a gentle voice behind him, "Monsieur, may I ask you what you are doing?"

He turned and saw the maiden that accompanied Kikyo in the beginning of her aria. He then realized she was Meg's daughter and knew very well that as her second occupation, she helped her mother by inspecting the conditions of the vocalists and their dormitories. He knew she would be demanding an explanation as to why he was trespassing, especially into a lady's room.

He walked to her, replying, "Pardon Mademoiselle, I only wished to know where the mademoiselle was since I said I would accompany her to dinner. I did not mean to trespass."

"She is not here though. If you want, I will look for her on your behalf. Might I know your name," Tsubaki politely asked.

Bankotsu replied, "The Count Automne."

She gasped and jubilantly spoke, "Pardon me Monsieur, I did not know you were the patron Count Automne. I will go in search of her right now."

He smiled, saying, "Thank you Mademoiselle-?"

"-Tsubaki, Monsieur," she excitedly answered.

"Very well...Thank you Mademoiselle Tsubaki," he said smiling to her.

Tsubaki immediately left the room and headed back to the main halls, thinking to herself how handsome the Count was. She then wondered whether he was the man Kikyo's father had arranged her marriage with. If he is, she must tell her how lucky she was to be under the eyes of the dashing Count. She first went to the lavatory, but she was not there. She then left the dormitory halls and asked the sopranos that were by the grand staircase, but they knew nothing.

Tsubaki headed to the stage and saw Christine and Raoul stepping out of the curtain entry. She sprinted to them, breathlessly asking, "Madame, Monsieur, might you know where Kikyo has wondered off to?"

"I am afraid not. Isn't she with the Count Automne," Raoul asked, hesitating to hear the response.

Tsubaki replied in a nervous tone, "She isn't. The Count went into her room to find her but she was not there. I have so far asked the sopranos here and searched in the lavatory but she isn't there."

"Good heavens! Where has she gone to this time," Christine exclaimed.

"I am sure she is here somewhere. We only need to search well the Opera Populaire," Raoul reassured, softly patting her shoulders in attempts to ease her anxiety. He turned his attention to Tsubaki and said to her, "Please take us to where you have yet to search of her."

Tsubaki nodded and led the couple upstairs to the dormitory halls. As they searched through the labyrinth of doors and dim candlelight, the very maiden they were in search of was beginning to stir...

Kikyo showed hesitation on her face and fluttered her eyes opened. She looked at the ground and noticed an arm wrapped around her waist. She then knew the utter frost that came from the hand that was placed on her side. She turned her gaze from the ground to the face she long knew but not entirely. Sesshomaru returned the gaze, remaining silent as he still clutched onto the soprano.

He softened his grip and allowed her to stand up. Yet, she kneeled to his level and placed her hands on his cheeks. He felt the gentle warmth coming from her soft hands, such tenderness that matched the pure color in her eyes.

Kikyo finally spoke, asking in a mellow voice, "You are not really the Angel of Music, are you?"

"As much as I hate to answer, you are correct," Sesshomaru replied in a dying whisper.

Her gaze continued to remain gentle, trying to see within his golden eyes. Her hands slowly moved up and she slowly began to remove his mask. His gloved hands caught a gentle grip onto hers as though he tried to prevent her from removing the cursed mask. Yet, it was too late...She pulled the mask off and dropped it...Her hands still remained under his as her face showed the shock and confusion from the face she beheld.

-()-

Kind of a short chapter…Well, I hope the lyrics worked out for the story. I love both songs in the meeting with Christine and the Phantom, but I felt they wouldn't work for this type of sequel (T.T). They were Christine and the Phantom's song, so I had the trouble of finding a song for Kikyo and Sesshomaru. I personally think "Love Like Winter" worked well, although I am not entirely sure about "Disenchanted" (the song will be fully explained in the next chapter, I hope). I love those two songs so I hope I managed to work them into my story.

**A/N**: Damn it! I forgot to say this. The verses with (+) are not the real verses for the song "Disenchanted." They are originally _I spent my high school carrer/ Spit on and shoved to agree/ So I can watch all my heroes sell a car on t.v./_ (btw, they verses I made up are mine, except for the ones I just typed).

Reviewers, I humbly thank you for your reviews. Bear with me readers and reviewers, I have a lot of jack with term papers and tests coming my way (worst part of the school year! u.u), but I hope to update very soon. With nothing more to say, thanks for reading!!!


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